Two Hearts
by Juno's Peacock
Summary: Esther and Swaine are like water and oil. They can't deny their dislike for each other even though there have been some hidden feelings. But when they find themselves in great danger and under a mysterious curse, they recognize that they need to work togehter to lift this deadly curse before it's too late.
1. Prologue: The New Decision

**Author's Note:** So this is my first fanfiction ever! I'm not a native English speaker so if you find any big mistakes, please don't be so rude ^^ I hope you'll enjoy this story!

I'm thankful for every little review and I'll do my best to improve my writing skills :) And now, please sit back and...ENJOY!

* * *

"Friendship…" A dazed, metallic sounding voice echoed through the well-lit room and broke the silence.

"What did you say, Your Radiance?"

A blue parrot was sitting on a golden perch, lifted his head and looked at the person next to him. Even though he's just a parrot, he was surly dressed stately, his purple eyes astir.

"Friendship, Apus…" The majestic looking woman next to the parrot leaned casually in her throne, legs crossed and bright green eyes, like emeralds, gazed into the distance under her white mask.

Her dazzling white cloak exposed a black body, which was glowing now and then in all colors of the rainbow while the inside of her cloak seemed to reflect the gloomy light of the universe.

Suddenly the White Witch sat up straight and slowly lifted her right arm. A magical crystal ball appeared under her hand, starting to gleam in a melancholy purple light.

"I am talking about the bond that connects people. This one is not the powerful bond of disgusting love we usually see. It is…different." The crystal ball started to glow from the inside out and revealed a blurry picture of a young, laughing boy with reddish brown hair und dark blue eyes.

"It's been a while since we sat here to discuss the elimination of the Pure Hearted One." the Witch said with a sharp voice. "And yet…yet he's still alive due to his magic powers and the help of his allies."

She lifted her head, and looked every member of the council around her in the face. But due to their masks, which cover their whole faces, she couldn't read their expressions, yet she knew, that everyone agreed with her.

"The boy even managed to obtain Mornstar, the powerful wand that should actually be destroyed…" she growled and lowered her head.

The Zodiarchs now looked at each other and started to discuss hectically.

"AND let us not forget that he's already found one of the orbs!" One said.

"Yes, the orb of the Vault of Tears!" Another one agreed.

"So not even Aapep was strong enough to defeat the boy!" one Zodiarch said with a harsh voice. "Who says, that he won't defeat the other holders as easily as he defeatet Aapep?"

"It's all Shadar's fault! Not even with the power of the three holders he stands a chance against the Savior of this world!"

"Interesting…" the Witch mumbled and leaned back again. "That's why I want to make a new decision."

Complete silence filled the bright room. The mirror-like floor showed a reflection of every Zodiarch, all eyes were focused on the White Witch.

"A new…decision, Your Radiance?" Apus finally cut the silence.

"Yes. Our new target isn't the Pure Hearted One anymore."

"What?!" the Zodiarchs startled, disbelief in their voices.

A sudden rush broke out, all voices of the Zodiarchs speaking at once. The crystal ball began to shine again when the White Witch stood up abruptly.

"SILENCE!"

There was a dead silence and no one dared to take a breath. Even Apus shut his eyes and covered his head with his wings.

"Shadar?" the Witch said, looking at the spot in the middle of the room.

Dark mist started to appear and blurred outlines showed up. A dark figure with a crouch emerged from the mist, his black cloak swung back and forth.  
His black hood covered his entire face, only strands of dark red hair fell out of it. Long curved horns made their way up from around his neck while his left hand had to take hold on a wooden stick.

"You summoned me, White Witch?" A dark growl came from deep under the hood.

"Did you hear what we were saying?"

"Every single word…"

"Very well…" The Witch sat back onto her throne and let her fingers dance above the crystal ball. A new blurry vision appeared, but this time, it didn't show the young boy.

The vision showed a girl and a man.

"Those two will be your new target." the Witch commanded, waiting for Shadar to response.

"Those two?" a Zodiarch asked in disbelieve. "But, Your Radiance, those are only his allies! They don't even have magic powers! It'd only be a waste of time going after them!"

The White Witch was ignoring him, still staring at Shadar and waiting for an answer. Apus beside her had a puzzled look on his face but he didn't dare to question the decisions of his majesty.

"Do you know the power of friendship, Shadar?" she asked all of a sudden, her voice filled with curiosity as she cocked her head to one side.

"Friendship…" Shadar whispered deep in thoughts. "I can't remember this kind of feeling anymore…"

"The bond of friendship is to blame for his success. Its power is unbelievable strong, nearly as strong as the power of love and yet…it is this strength that keeps him going."

The vision of the young boy, the girl and the man, who were walking next to each other, laughing, suddenly went dark.

"Therefore…" she said and looked at Shadar, her green eyes showed a sudden glint "…the Pure Hearted One, the Savior of our world, will fall in endless despair and darkness if this bond will be broken."

"You mean…" Apus looked at the Witch with eager expectancy, finally knowing what she was up to.

Shadar lifted his head, but still it was not possible to see his face.

"So…what are your orders, Your Radiance?"

With elbows resting on her tucked up knees, the White Witch took her chin in her hand and smiled, even though no one could see it.

"Kill them."


	2. Chapter 1: The Ulk Incident

A sudden brisk and heavy wind blew through the endless green lands of the Northern Summerlands, which augured ill. Even though the sun was standing high and hardly a cloud darkened the bright blue sky, there was something strange going on. The creatures of the Rolling Hills were in a rage and acting dangerous, even more than usual.

The majestic treetops of the surrounding forests swang gently in the wind, and simply nothing could harm this peaceful and magnificent silence. Nothing but a sudden high-pitched scream.

"God, Esther! Pull yourself together!" a gruff voice that just sounded outright annoyed yelled against the stronger blowing wind.

"But there it was again!" The young girl with the golden blond hair ran like mad on the top of a hill nearby and looked down into the valley. Her bright blue eyes searched desperately for what she had spotted just a moment ago while the bangs of her hair kept dancing in the wind.

"Oh no ... it's gone..." Esther's light clothes and her long ponytail rocked softly back and forth in the wind while her disappointed look roamed the green and endless land under her. But suddenly she turned around, anger written all over her face.

"Great…GREAT! Thank you, Swaine!" she yelled as she slid rather elegantly down to the foot of the hill where the members of her small group were already waiting.

A tall man with ruffled dark brown hair looked back in surprise when the girl came down and stopped right in front of him. He wore a shabby green coat that had already seen better days. The same was true for the rest of his worn-out clothes.

"Wait…now it's MY fault?!" The man called Swaine shouted and indignantly threw his hands in the air. "You serious?!"

"Yes! If you had not yelled around, that Baatender would still be there!" Esther countered and glared at her opponent with a furious look.

"You're crazy, girl! The only one who yells around all day whenever she sees a stupid sheep is YOU!"

"Just shut up!" Esther crossed her arms in front of her chest and stomped angrily with her right foot.

"You shut up!"

"Both of you shut up, flippin' heck!"

Esther and Swaine turned around, a surprised look on both of their faces. It was not Oliver, the young wizard, who shouted at them, but his little friend the Great Fairy Mr. Drippy. He jumped down from the top of the boy's head, just then when he had made himself comfortable.

"I can't take it anymore! Ya two are awful! Arguing constantly, like an old married couple! First I thought it was funny as hell but now it's just ticking me off, mun!"

Drippy waved his little arms wildly and jumped energetically in circles, a thing that he did whenever he's angry. While the "Lord High Lord of the Fairies" hopped up and down like a bouncy ball, cursing around, Oliver stood between the two squabblers.

"Hey, hey! Don't be so rude to each other." He shook his reddish brown hair and gave them a cheery smile. The boy had the great ability of an infectious smile and tried it out whenever he could. "We've nearly done it. Look!"

Oliver raised his hand and pointed to a place far behind the entrance of the Deep Dark Forest. This was the northernmost point of the Summerlands, a place hardly ever visited by humans. The fauna in this place called Rolling Hill was much different from the one in the rest of the Northern Summerlands. And the same was true for the creature that lurked around in these corners.

The group was already able to see the great mountains with their snowy tops who divided the continent from the ocean. They've never been this far…

"I bet…" the boy said, took out his map and showed it to his friends "I bet the Ulk must be somewhere here!"

Oliver ran one finger across the bleach paper of the map, showing where the particular place could be. A few days ago they paid a visit to the Swift Solution, a place Oliver and his friends visited many times during their journey. The young wizard often felt the sudden urge to help people in need whenever he could. Not only to make strangers happy but also to gain more experience in a world that was so new and yet so different from his own one.

Currently they're on a bounty hunt about an Ulk, who attacked people near the Rolling Hills. Normally Ulks used to be friendly creatures but this one seemed to break out of column. However, the citizen of Ding Dong Dell literally begged Oliver to help them. No one of them could go out anymore without getting attacked by the aggressive Ulk.

"Well then, let's go! And please…" he looked at Esther and Swaine and could feel the everlasting tension between them "…don't argue anymore, ok? We are a team and we have to hold together! The people of Ding Dong Dell need us!" Oliver was feeling so excited and gave them his biggest and most joyful smile. Even though Oliver was known as "the Pure Hearted One", he was tricky enough to know that this smile could be heart-melting.

"Pleeeeeaaaseeee?"

Swaine sighed. _That boy was just too good…_

"Alright, Oliver. Let's go." He just wanted to set in motion but suddenly turned around, a mocking smile when he faced Esther behind him.

"Don't be such a slow-down! After all we've got a mission to complete!"

Esther was taken aback by his words and gasped sharply for air. Her cheeks went bright red and she just wanted to scream her head off right now. Apparently Oliver's words immediately crossed her mind and so she just decided to swallow her whole anger, much to her own annoyance.

_What an idiot! I'm going to kick your ass when this is over, Swaine!_

Swaine, however, was amused that he could silence that feisty girl, even though he usually somehow or other enjoyed their little bickering. Beside that he was just glad that she kept her bratty mouth shut for once, since she was a pain in the neck most of the time for him.

After the rowing has been set aside, Oliver and his friends headed north to the place where the Ulk was supposed to be. They had to cross a small river near the Deep Dark Wood and made their way uphill which was quite exhausting for them. After a while the wind started to howl even louder, slowing down their progress.

Esther was strolling a little bit behind the group and looked alternating to the left and the right side. It's true, she's been searching a Baatender for the whole day. Since she saw a little girl playing with her own one in Ding Dong Dell, she fell in love for these creatures. Esther loved everything that was cute, but she was also sure that she could make a great familiar out of a Baatender. Even though that Bestiae weren't her favorite genera, nothing could stop her from trying to tame one.

Esther took out her beloved harp from her bag and stroked the strings lightly with her fingers. She couldn't help it, but she had to smile when she heard those familiar sounds.

"What are you smiling at?" A voice suddenly dragged her back to reality. Esther jerked and immediately put her harp back. She has been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even saw Swaine coming!

"What? Am I not allowed to smile anymore?" she answered rudely and turned her face to the other side. Right now she wasn't in the mood to talk to the thief, not after he had made her that angry before.

Swaine shook his head and ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"No, it's not…I just wanted to-"

"You just wanted 'what'?" Do I need permission from the Prince of Hamelin if I want to smile?"

"W-what…?"

"Whatever it is, keep it to yourself! I'm not interested!"

Not even waiting for an answer, Esther suddenly dashed forward to Oliver and Drippy, leaving the thief behind. She said something Swaine couldn't hear and the other ones had to laugh. No one could get her down, no one! Not even an idiot like Swaine…

_The Prince of Hamelin…tsk! What do YOU know, Esther?_

"You're not worth the trouble…" he mumbled and decided to bring up the rear. The fact that he actually just had the intention to apologize to her for earlier and now getting bawled out by her like that annoyed him utterly.

The thief was, and he was sure he always will be, tired and annoyed by her spiteful attitude towards him. And if she wouldn't change that, he wouldn't do it either.

* * *

Dusk was already coming when they finally found the Ulk.

"Flipping heck!" Drippy called out, his little eyes grew bigger with every second. "Just look at THAT beast, mun! I mean, it's even bigger than the other ones! And the other ones are already big!"

"Jeepers…" Oliver was so stunned by the Ulk that he couldn't find the right words. In fact, he was pretty thankful for it, now that he saw what awaits them.

Drippy was right: the Ulk looked far bigger and nastier than this consorts. They found it right there where Oliver had supposed it, hidden away in a small dell in the Rolling Hills. The group was hiding on a hill, out of the sight of the Ulk, from where they were able to look down at it and Oliver suggested starting a surprise attack.

Swaine gulped. He had already wrapped his fingers around his pistol and looked down at Esther beside him. She looked way more confident than him, her blue eyes fixing the beast. With her harp in her arms and her muscles tensed she was ready to kick the butt of this giant Ulk. Swaine blinked irritated. "Nonsense!" he thought angrily. "Get a grip!"

"Now let's go Ollie-boy before it-" Drippy was so excited that he didn't look where he was jumping…and fell right off the hill down to the Ulk.

"DRIPPYYYYYY!" Oliver screamed and his eyes widened. Without wasting another thought he immediately jumped after his little friend down in the dell.

"Oh no, Oliver!" Esther watched Oliver and Drippy sliding down the hill for a moment before she decided to do the same thing. Swaine seemed to be the only one who wasn't very eager to jump down at all.

"Are you serious?! I thought we should surprise him!" Swaine yelled but no one was actually listening to him. He stood up and looked down at the scenario under him.

When Drippy finally fell to the ground he was all covered in dirt and mud. He jumped back to his little feet and cursed in his Welsh accent. But when he suddenly heard a growl directly behind him, he immediately stopped. Drippy shivered in fear and didn't dare to turn around when something behind him let out a terrifying roar. Before the Ulk was able to hit Drippy with his tremendous antlers, Oliver was ready to grab Drippy, who let out a yelp, by his lantern from behind with one hand and took out Mornstar at the same time with the other one.

Oliver casted a fireball right in the Ulk's face, but it didn't use as much as he had hoped. The two tumbled to the ground and Oliver's wand flew out of this hand. Unfortunately it landed directly in front of the Ulk who was now standing up to its full size.

"Oliver, cover your ears!" Esther ordered when she finally reached the ground in the right moment. She stood there in front of the Ulk grabbing her harp and played the most earsplitting sound they've ever heard.

As she told them, Oliver and Drippy covered their ears but Oliver could still hear the terrible sound of the harp, causing him to feel all dizzy.

The Ulk let out a pained cry and fell into total rage now. It destroyed everything around him, waving his antlers up and down and trampled everything down on the ground. When Esther stopped playing, she quickly helped up Oliver back to the feet, who was desperately looking for his wand.

But it wasn't there where he had last seen it.

"No…Mornstar! Where's it?!" Panic slowly crept its way up to his heart when he felt something heavy jumping on his right shoulder. He looked around and saw a Dumbelemur, holding Oliver's wand in its little hands.

"Radic!" Oliver felt happiness instead of panic when the little monkey gladly handed Mornstar over to him and let out a cheerful cry.

"Swaine's familiar? But where's- Uuf!" Esther frowned when she suddenly felt a heavy weight on her body, taking away her breath and dragging her to the ground. It was not the Ulk, it was Swaine, who clumsily fell off the hill and right onto Esther.

"Oh dear, Swaine, get off her, youer crushing that poor lass!" Drippy yelled, knocking off the dirt and tugged at Swaine's coat, who was still feeling dazed.

"Wait, what…oh, Esther! I-I didn't mean to-" He awkwardly lifted himself up and tried to help Esther but she simply slapped his helping hand away.

"Get out of my way, IDIOT!" she shouted and gave Swaine a killing glance that could even make the Ulk surrender. Swaine looked at her speechless while his familiar Radic quickly climbed up on his shoulder and tugged franticly at the collars of his orange shirt.

"Guys, watch out!" Oliver's voice pierced through their mind as the Ulk started to get normal again and attacked the group. Now they were ready: Oliver summoned his first familiar Fynn, the Mighty Mite which kept attacking with his sharp sword while Esther called out for Gogo, her Strongo to hit the Ulk with its storm and water attacks. Swaine had only to choose Radic since he left his first familiar Gunther the Hurly in Hamelin by his brother. But even without his bulky familiar, the Dumbelemur proved itself to be the quickest and agilest one of their three familiars.

Together they were able to stand a chance against the beasty Ulk and even though the battle felt like an eternity and the Ulk was sapping their energy, Oliver and his friends could finally defeat it. In the end the beast ultimately fainted and when the beast collapsed, it left the earth shaking lightly. The group was standing around it, dirty, filthy and fully exhausted.

"Oh God!" Swaine gasped for air as he whipped off the sweat from his forehead with his sleeves. "I thought we'd never make it!" Radic made a squeaky sound when he stumbled towards his master and used his last powers to jump into his chest.

He gave Esther beside him a short glimpse but the girl was too busy to play a quick Healing Hymn to Gogo, before the plump bird got enveloped by a fade pink light and vanished into her chest. Esther let out a deep sigh, the fight surely had drained off a lot of her strength.

Oliver simply dropped to the ground, also trying to catch his breath while Fynn escaped into his chest too. "I need some rest…honestly, that was a hard one." Drippy, who was still covered with dirt and obviously exhausted from encouraging his friends, sat next to him and held Mornstar.

"Oi! Seems like you've used your whole magic power, Ollie-boy!"

Drippy stood up and looked at the wand with a serious face. "With no magic power, the way back to Ding Dong Dell will become a flippin' heck of a problem! Beside that…" He looked at Swaine, who could barely stand up, Oliver, who was still sitting on the ground and Esther, who hasn't said a word by now.

"Youer all totally stricken! You and all ya familiars!"

"Wait…what do you want to say?" Esther asked with a questioned look on her face while putting her harp back into her bag. She didn't get badly injured but still got some scratches and bruises on her body, especially on her arms.

"I wanna say that we're screwed, mun!"

"Hold on a second..."Swaine said, knocking off the dust from his coat. "You mean we should stay here? The whole night?"

"That's what I flippin' mean! From here it's more than a day's marsh back to Ding Dong Dell! And as you might see it's already dark! Look around you, darkness everywhere! Y'know what kind of creatures lure in the darkness in the Rolling Hills?"

Now they realized why Drippy was freaking out: he's afraid of the dark.

"Ok Drippy, you're right. "Oliver finally stood up and walked towards Esther to help her up. "We could never make it to Ding Dong Dell in our conditions." he said and gave his friends a faint smile. "But I think we could manage to go to the river we crossed earlier, right? We could rest there for the night since it looked like a safe place...more or less."

"That's a good idea, Oliver." Esther agreed with this proposal and gave the boy a nod of assent. After this troublesome day she hasn't been eager at all to walk the whole way back to Ding Dong Dell in the dark.

Swaine looked at them with no expression on his face since no one seemed to pay attention to him. He was just tired, all he needed now was a bath and a warm, soft bed to forget all the trouble around him. Of course he won't get it anyway…at least not tonight.

Absent-minded he touched his chest directly there where his heart should be. His familiar Radic took some serious damage and he's pretty worried about him. It might be better if he stayed in there for a couple of days now.

"Swaine? Are you alright?"

Swaine drifted back from his thoughts to reality and he doesn't know why but he hoped that it was Esther, who asked him this question. But no…it was Oliver. He looked at the boy and patted his reddish brown hair with his hand.

_Oh Oliver, always worried about others but never about yourself, right?_

"Nah, I'm fine. I was just thinking…" he finally said with a forced smile.

Suddenly they heard an angry snort. It was Esther. "I never thought that you were actually able to DO this!" she said ignorantly and looked at Swaine with furious eyes. She was still mad at him, in fact, she got even madder now that the battle was over. "I thought all you can do is running away!"

Swaine felt heat coming up his to his cheeks as he tensed his body. Now the girl has reached his limit of patience for this day.

_Why, you bratty little…!_

"Seriously, what's your problem? I wasn't running away at all! And without my familiar Oliver wouldn't have get his wand back, right?!"

"Yes, your familiar! And where were you?!" Esther shouted back and took a vigorous step towards him only to jab her finger at his chest. "You were standing on the top of the hill, watching me and Oliver fight the Ulk alone!"

"Shut up! I checked on the situation! I had to figure out when it's best to come down!"

"Are you freaking kidding me?!"

"…and then you landed right on top of her!" Drippy chuckled to himself but loud enough so that Swaine was able to hear it.

"Oh, shut up you-…!" the thief growled and could feel his cheeks go scarlet but right in this moment Oliver interposed.

"Guys, guys, stop it! Just stop it! Why can't you just quit with the arguing? We are friends, don't you remember?" Oliver looked at Swaine and then at Esther with disappointment in his eyes. Even though he was kind of used to their bickering already, it sure got worse with every day they travel together. And like Drippy already said: at first it was somehow funny to watch them but now they just keep constantly arguing over every little thing.

A wave of guilt pangs crashed above both of them. Swaine opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. Truly, he was the only grown up in this motley crew and he actually should act like one but…whatever, he thought and made a random gesture with his hand.

Meanwhile Esther took her bag and threw it carelessly over her shoulder without a word. She turned around, facing her group with her back while she clenched her fists in front of her chest. Esther was tired, tired and annoyed of this day, of this fight and of that goddamn idiot that couldn't keep his tongue tied for only one stupid second!

"Come on…I thought we should go to river, right?" she finally managed to say, trying her best to sound confident and yet the others could hear that there was some hint of worry hidden in her voice.

Oliver slowly closed his eyes and nodded. He took Mornstar and restored it on his side. Drippy lit his little lantern and shook his head encouraging while walking beside Oliver. "Tidy…let's go!"

And as usual, Swaine was the last one of them who walked into the welcoming darkness that swallowed them too quickly.


	3. Chapter 2: Pins and Needles

Oliver and his friends finally reached the part where they crossed the river earlier this afternoon. Darkness had now completely fallen over the Summerlands, only Drippy's little lantern hanging down from his nose spent some fading light. They were even more exhausted than before but Esther was the only one who suggested that it'd be best, if they collected some brand for a little bonfire.

Swaine sighed at this suggestion. "It's way too late for it…I mean, come on, we're all tired!"

He just let himself drop to the ground and stayed there with crossed arms while Oliver found an old, overthrown trunk to sit on. He took off his red cape and folded it carefully together before putting it next to him.

Esther looked at her companions in disbelief and put her hands on her hips. A common thing she always did when she was angry. "Fine! Then I'll go alone!" she said with an angry voice. "You're so goddamn lazy, all of you!"

"I'm sorry but I'm sooo tired…" Oliver yawned and scratched the back of his neck while Drippy dosed down on his cape. Swaine shook his head lightly and rolled his eyes in annoyance. _Goodness, this girl can be so annoying..._

"Wait, wait, wait, I'll go with you." He stood up and walked towards Esther, giving her a glance of appraisal. "You can't walk around here on your own."

"Of course I can. I don't need your help!"

"Oh, but you wanted Oliver's help, right?"

"Yeah, because Oliver's useful compared with you!"

"God, girl! You're so incredibly stupid!"

Oliver looked at them with a pained expression on his face. "Guys, please…not again. Wait, I'm coming with you…" He sighed as he tried to stand up but Esther pushed him back down, looking him straight in the dark blue eyes. "No, you stay here. You should rest, Oliver." she said and could even manage to put a joyful smile on her face.

"The idiot and I are going to collect some firewood…come on, Swaine! I go in this direction and you go…wherever you want!" And with those words she disappeared through the dark shrubbery into the nearby forest.

So, Swaine, tired and annoyed of this whole situation, went in the other direction, searching for some branches and twigs that they could use for a pretty little fire. Meanwhile his thoughts drifted away again. He had to think about this day, about the fight against the Ulk, about his familiar, about this whole freaking journey and how insane he actually must be because he is STILL travelling with them.

And of course he thought about that feisty girl Esther.

Swaine didn't know if he liked her or if she's just a pain in the neck. Whenever he's saying something she has to counter an argument with it, telling him how stupid his suggestions are. And when he didn't say a thing at all, she grumbled why he doesn't try to be more useful.

_Stupid girl…always making problems! Always making trouble!_

He picked up a good looking branch and accidently broke it in the middle because of his anger.

But then again, there was something that made her lovable. He couldn't tell what it was. Was it her smile? Her eyes? The way she rejoices at something whenever she's happy? Swaine suddenly snapped out of his daydreams, wanting to slap himself mentally to knock out these mushy feelings of his head. "Nonsense!" he grumbled and kicked a stone on the ground.

But he somehow couldn't deny that on the one hand he felt attracted to her, but on the other one she's driving him crazy. Swaine sighed. _Women…I think I'm ready to ring the funny farm…_

When he thought that he'd collected enough firewood, Swaine ambled back to the others. Oliver was still sitting on the trunk, reading in the Wizard's Companion while holding Mornstar in his hand. A tiny puff of smoke escaped the unfinished wand and Oliver sighed in frustration.

"What are you doing?" Swaine asked and let the firewood carelessly fall to the ground, causing Drippy to wake up with a yelp. Oliver looked at him and laughed. "I know this looks stupid but I'm trying to cast a little fireball but…" He shrugged, knowing that without magic he's still just an ordinary little boy.

"I see…" Swaine turned around and suddenly took a close look on his coat. Man, it was so knackered! The fight back then made it look even more worn out than it already was. "Geez, just look at my coat…I think it got even more holes than before!" Oliver let out a slight chuckle. "Well, why don't you buy another one when we're back in Ding Dong Dell?"

Swaine grimaced. "Another one? Oliver, this is MY coat. After all…it's a lucky one, you know?" "Oh yeah?" Oliver glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Ollie-boy, if he wanna look like a bum, let him look like a bum!" Drippy interrupted and laughed up his sleeve.

_Why, you little…_

Swaine snarled and gave Drippy a kick, but he was fast enough to jump on his little feet and hide behind Oliver. "Why don't you make yourself useful and ignite the damn fire?!" Swaine growled and crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying his best to fight the urge to grab his gun and shot that stupid fairy.

"Alright, alright! No need to get rough, mun!" Drippy babbled and hopped to the woodpile. "Look! I'll show you how this is goin'!"

Encouraged as he was, Drippy opened a tiny little door at the front side of his lantern and shook it eagerly. Bright sparks flew out of it and floated lightly down on the woodpile. There was a sudden glint of red light inside the wood, but it disappeared after a few second, leaving nothing than soggy branches.

"Wow…I'm impressed. Really, you made my day." Swaine said and ironically clapped his hands.

"Oh, shut up you ol' crank!" Drippy looked up at him reproachfully and closed his lantern. "It just needs more time, mun!"

"Whatever...hey, where's Esther?"

Oliver lifted his head and looked around. It's true she's been away for too long now…and it was then that when they heard a shriek coming out of the forest.

"E-Esther?!" Oliver shouted and jumped back on his feet, having Mornstar ready. Suddenly Esther stormed out of the forest, completely breathless with running. Gasping for air, she looked at her friends with wide eyes. Swaine took some steps towards her. "What happened?"

Esther was still out of breath but suddenly she smiled from ear to ear and took Oliver and Swaine by their hands. "I have to show you something! Come on, let's go!" she said and dragged them back into the forest. Swaine sighed and rolled his eyes again. _Don't say she found another dumb sheep …_

They ran through dense undergrowth, dark brambles everywhere when Esther abruptly stopped, causing Oliver and Swaine to tumble in her back, but she didn't even notice it.

"Tadaaaaaa!" Esther cheered, her hand pointed at a hot spring in front of them. Hot damp fumed out of the water which had a clear and bright blue color. It was surrounded by big dark rocks which seemed to keep the heat of the spring just a little above the surface.

"Girl…that's just a hot spring." Swaine frowned at her.

"I know, but it's a pretty cool one! Look how big it is!" Esther smiled and looked eagerly at the boys. "It's great, come on!"

"Wow, I've never seen one before…"Oliver admitted and scratched the back of his head. He was pretty sure that there were no hot springs in Motorville…at least he has never seen one.

"No way! Really? Then you've to try it!" she said happily and took Oliver's hands in hers. If it wasn't a Baatender that made Esther freak out, it's for sure a hot spring.

Oliver attempted a forced smile and shook his head. "No thanks, I'm way too tired for this…I think I'm going to sleep now. And...I think we forgot Drippy…" With a loud yawn he turned around and started to go back to their place. Esther felt disappointed by the way how uninterested Oliver acted but she couldn't be angry with him. After all, it was a hard day for all of them but Oliver seemed to be the most exhausted one.

"Well…I think I'll collect some more firewood." Swaine mentioned casually. Esther looked at him with a surprised expression on her face. "What? I thought we already had enough?"

"You see...it's getting kind of chilly here and I don't wanna get a cold. And by the way…" he gave her a mocking look. "YOU didn't collect anything at all" he finally said and headed away in the other direction.

Esther ignored his mockery but she could feel how her muscles tensed. She stood there, alone and crossed her arms. "Tsk! I still think it's pretty cool…" she finally said and darted a last look on the hot spring before she headed back to Oliver.

Shortly afterwards, clumps of bushes started to rustle when suddenly Swaine appeared under cover of darkness. Hell no, he didn't want to collect more firewood, he already had done enough work for today. He tiptoed down to the hot spring, eagerly looking around.

No one here…perfect! It felt strange hiding from the others in the undergrowth and that in the middle of the night but he just wants to be alone for a single moment. And that hot spring was way too appealing…

He quickly undressed himself, tossing his coat and the other clothes carelessly on the ground…except for his boxers. Slowly he immersed his hand into the water and was surprised that it really was a hot spring. With a smirk he carefully got into the hot spring, taking a deep breath and closing his sleepy eyes.

"This feels like heaven…" he mumbled and glanced around for a better place to stay. There was a spot not far away from him where he was able to lean himself against a big, warm rock. The hot water felt wonderful on his rough skin, washing away the dirt of this strenuous day…and of this whole weary life.

No hysterical and aggressive girl yelling at him, no excessively optimistic little boy and no, he had to repeat it, NO annoying, goddamn fairy around him.

"Finally, time for me alone..." he thought amused and lost himself in his thoughts.

* * *

Meanwhile, Esther was sitting by the fire, trying to warm up herself by rubbing her shoulders with her hands. Oliver sat right beside her while Drippy was already sound asleep, muttering in his dreams. Neither of them dared to say a word, they just sat there and listened to the crackle of the fire.

Suddenly Oliver stretched his arms and turned his head to Esther, glaring at her pensive face. "What's bothering you, Esther?" he asked caring and chafed his hands. Esther's blank eyes turned away from the fire and she forced herself to a smile. "Nothing, really. I was just…woolgathering."

"About what? Tell me, I wanna know!"

"Oh, just thinking about our journey." she finally said and made a gesture with her hand. "And what we're going to do next when we finally get out of here..."

"Well, at first we need to go back to Ding Dong Dell and then…" Oliver yawned again, this time even louder than before "…and then we're going to search for the other orbs. I'm already curious about the places we are going to visit!"

"And what about Tengri? You think we could use him for searching?" she asked and raised an eyebrow. Visitin foreign places sounded great but visiting them all by foot would took an eternity and Esther knew how pretty exhausted that could be. Oliver shook his head lightly and closed his eyes. "No, I don't think so. Remember what Kublai said? We're not allowed to ride on him until he feels better…"

After Oliver and his friends cured the broken heart of Tengri's soulmate in Motorville, they eagerly wanted to fly with him. But the young dragon was way too weak to take them on a ride, even though he already felt better…at least on the inside.

So Kublai promised them they were allowed to fly with him as soon as Tengri felt better…which could take a couple of weeks though. Oliver was sad at heart when he heard that, even though he was able to cure him.

"Poor Tengri…"he muttered deep in thoughts, trying to combat fatigue but he was already way to tired. "I think you should go to sleep, Oliver" Esther smiled and looked at him.

"But what about you?"

"Not now….I think I'll pay a short visit to the hot spring." she chuckled and slowly stood up. "Ok then…goodnight, Esther." Oliver muttered and lay down on the ground next to Drippy. "Goodnight Oliver…" Esther whispered and carefully sneaked back into the dark forest.

* * *

The sound of splashing water brought Swaine back to reality. He blinked several times and rubbed his sleepy eyes. _Did I fall asleep..?_

Another noise, this time pretty close to him. He dared to take a swift look over his shoulder and…his heart nearly collapsed at this sight. It was Esther, standing in the middle of the hot spring, her back facing him and humming a melody to herself.

Her hair wasn't tied together to the usual ponytail anymore, so it fell loose down her back like a golden wave. Kneeling down she splashed some of the hot water on her shoulders and on her face.

Swaine quickly turned his head back as he felt his cheeks go scarlet. Without noticing his heart started to race, making it hard to clear his mind.

Thanks God, she wasn't naked…at least she's wearing underwear. Not that it would bother him, oh no, not at all. But he knew that when she found out that he's here, hiding himself behind a damn rock like a total creep, she'd definitively kill him. Or at least she'd kick his ass, that's for sure. But first of all she'd scream her head off…

"My God, what am I doing here?" he hissed and looked around him in panic. There was no way out of here without getting seen by her. Suddenly there was a dead silence, not the slightest noise could be heard.

"Who's there?!" Esther screamed and the sound of splashing water could be heard again. "Damn!" he thought and could hear her moving towards the rock he was hiding.

_No no no no no…just go away…go away!_

"SWAINE!" her scream split the air and re-echoed in Swaine's ears.

"WHAT?" he shouted back, daring to turn around and facing a furious looking Esther above him. She looked down at him with piercing eyes and took a few steps backwards when she suddenly realized how embarrassing the whole situation was. Cursing, her hands tried to cover her body hectically…but in vain.

Swaine sighed and decided to get out of here quickly before it could get even more embarrassing, but his legs were surprisingly shaky when tried to stand up. "No!" Esther yelled and pointed at him. "Don't come any closer!" She felt the heat light her pale cheeks as her heart started to pound heavily.

"W-what are you doing here?" she hissed and tried to sound calm before she completely loses her self-control. Swaine stared at her while his brain tried to figure out the right words for his awkward situation.

"I could ask you the same question…" he replied and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He felt her piercing glance on his body and could tell that he didn't like this feeling at all. He felt truly uncomfortable. After all, it's been a while since a woman saw him like this but honestly…why does it have to be Esther?

"I was taking a bath…in the hot spring I FOUND!" she grumbled and took a deep breath to simmer down again.

"So? Well, but I was first! Haven't you seen my clothes?"

"Have YOU ever heard of the term _'Ladies first'_, you ignorant?"

"I don't care! First come, first served!" he shouted and took a step towards her. Again, this led to an argument and this must be the most awkward one they ever had since they're travelling together. The whole situation was so downright ridiculous but Swaine could tell that he got very, very mad right now by listening to her allegations.

"Hah! You're so damn selfish, Swaine!" she said with a harsh voice and shook her head in annoyance.

"Then I'd say we make a good match, huh?" he mocked and clicked his tongue, a gesture that could Esther jump out of her skin.

"Shut up! You're so…unbelievable!" she snorted and looked at him with narrow eyes. "I didn't know you were that kind of a sicko! You're really a good-for-nothing, Swaine! No wonder that you're hated!"

Without a warning, Swaine suddenly grabbed Esther by her wrist and rudely tossed her around, backing her against the rock where he was hiding earlier. Esther let out a pained noise when she saw Swaine bending forward her with a furious look on his face, taking a hold of her other hand too.

"Now listen very carefully, missy…" he growled threateningly and tightened his grip around her wrists. "I really don't have to put up with something like you! I'm so sick of your damn bratty behavior towards me! "

Esther looked up at him with wide eyes, way too terrified to get out a single word. Her mind went blank for a moment, not allowing to let in a single thought. A sudden pain rushed through her wrists when he toughened his grasp again.

"Ah…that hurts. Please stop it, Swaine…" Esther lowered her head and realized that her whole body was trembling. She never imagined that Swaine could act this furious and threatening...especially towards her.

"You don't know ANYTHING about me! You've no idea what I've been through! Can you even imagine what it feels like to be hated?" he shouted, glaring down at her. "Of course you don't! And you know what, Esther? I can tell you for sure, the world does surely NOT revolve around YOU!"

He moved closer but didn't let her go. A faint sob escaped Esther's constricted throat and burning tears appeared in the corner of her blue eyes when she suddenly opened her mouth.

"GO AWAY!"

Her piercing scream brought him back to his senses, realizing what he was doing. He let go of her, watching shocked how she tried to pull away from him. Swaine didn't know what came over him. Was he really that mad at her?

_What's wrong with you? Seriously, did you just hurt her?_

Swaine took a few steps backwards, still staring at Esther, tears running down her red cheeks. Without another word, Swaine shook his head, turned around and decided it'd be the best to climb out of that goddamn hot spring before things could even get more worse. At that precise moment, Esther gasped for air when she saw his back.

There was a scar, a huge scar running across the upper part of his back. Esther wasn't sure if she should say something but then decided that it was best if she just stayed mum.

"Don't bother me anymore." Swaine growled without deigning a look at her. He picked up his clothes he just dropped so carelessly earlier and disappeared into the dark forest.

Esther was completely left alone with shame, terror and rage bubbling inside of her. Did that just really happen? Was this real? Or was it a dream?  
With a deep sigh she let herself slowly slump down to the ground, the warmth of the hot spring caressing her body. She hugged her legs with shaky arms and buried her flushed face in her knees. Breathing uneven, her heart pounded heavily against her chest, but this time almost as if it wanted to break free.

"Dammit…"she mumbled and clenched her fists, trying to blink back the tears. "You idiot…"


	4. Chapter 3: Falling Down

After a while Esther returned to her companions, finding every one of them already asleep. The bonfire was just a little flamelet anymore, barely radiating warmth. And it sure got quite chilly now.

Esther shuddered and rubbed her arms while looking upwards into the night sky. It was a crystal clear night, millions of stars twinkled in the dark down at her and no one could have imagined that this peaceful idyll was hiding something unspoken horrible. A cold wind passed through the valley in the north and crickets played their nasty, annoying songs in the far distance. She looked around and decided to sleep next to Oliver, since she wasn't anxious to rest beside Swaine. Oliver was curled up in a ball, muttering in his sleep while Drippy was still lying on his cape and started to snore even louder than before.

Esther stared with blank eyes at Swaine who was laying further afar and covered himself with his worn out coat. Suddenly she clenched her fists til her knuckles cracked loudly.

_He didn't even apologize. That idiot…_

Stony-faced she tried to recall what had happened in the hot spring. Maybe she was a little bit too harsh. Maybe she should put her mind gear before opening her mouth. And yes, maybe she was a little bit too hysterical but that all was no reason to hurt her!

The image of Swaine's scar on his back suddenly crossed her mind and she wondered where he got it. Will he tell her one day? "I guess not…" she whispered and cupped her chin in her hand.

Nevermind, let's go to sleep! Esther lied down on the side and supported her head with her elbow…but this was way too uncomfortable and the howling wind made her burst into shivers. After tossing and turning several times on the hard ground she cursed under her breath WHY ON EARTH is she the only one here who wasn't able to cover herself? Finally, resting on her back, she stared straight into the night sky again, wishing that this terrible night would already end. Oh, why couldn't she be in Ding Dong Dell, in the Inn, in her very own bed in her very own room, sleeping like a little angel and in the morning she would awake as fresh as a daisy?

But no, destiny had other plans with Esther. That's the reason why she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with a wizard who didn't have any magic power left and a thief who apparently is fraught with some serious image problems. Time didn't seem to go by and Esther let out a deep sigh. She couldn't explain why but she felt the sudden urge to go for a walk. Soft-footed she tried to stand up and tiptoed away, heading down for the valley.

Esther casted one last glance at her sleeping friends. "I'll be back soon…" she smiled and headed away.

The place where they are sleeping is pretty good hidden by trees and shrubbery but yet it's not far away from the dell beneath. Esther started to walk faster and then she ran down into the valley, inhaling the cold and fresh air of the night.

There was a glade surrounded by gloomy looking forests and decorated with lovely little hills everywhere. From far away she could even see the dark silhouettes of the old ruins in the Rolling Hills. It was such a wonderful sight!

"Beautiful…" she whispered and closed her eyes. Esther never thought that she'd visit the Northern Summerlands until she met Oliver. After living her whole life in the desert of Al-Mamoon, the sight of a mysterious forest landscape at night was more than excited. Somehow it even gave her a heartwarming feeling…

Esther strolled through the glade and started to hum a catchy melody. The sound of water could be heard in the distance and Esther decided to follow it since she had nothing better to do, when a sudden thought struck her…

_I'm just taking a walk….what's the worst that could happen?_

After minutes of walking she finally reached a broad river coming out of one of the forests nearby. The water was reflected by the stars in the night sky, softly gleaming in the dark. Esther kept on walking downstream beside the river for a long time.

She had not the slightest idea how far away she's from her group and how late it was but she didn't care. "If it was up to me I'd stay the whole night here" Esther thought and stopped abruptly. The river suddenly ended and revealed a cliff where it crashed down like a waterfall.

"Damn…a dead end", Esther said and sighed. Well, seems like the end of the walk. But before going back she wanted to take a look at the waterfall. Esther dared to go to the edge of the cliff, slowly walking near the rushing water. She carefully lifted her head and glared over the edge.

The landscape of the Rolling Hills stretched for miles and miles and she wasn't even able to see the end of it. The darkness swallowed up the whole land underneath her, every single hill and every single tree of it. The only thing Esther was able to see and hear was the waterfall crashing down beside her into a great dark void.

Esther gulped. She didn't know why but her stomach turned at this sight. Even imagining falling down the cliff…uuuh, let's better not think about that!

After taking one last look she wanted to turn around when she felt a sudden grip on her shoulder. Esther's eyes shot open as her heart stood still. Before she could clear her mind Esther closed her eyes and let out a deafening cry, reflexively punched the unknown person and pushed it to the ground. There was a scream, followed by cursing when something heavy hit the ground in front of her.

"Dammit…what the HELL are you doing?!" Esther dared to open her eyes again when she recognized the voice.

"S…Swaine?!" Esther said startled and looked down at the familiar figure. It sure was Swaine, sitting on the ground and rubbing his left cheek. He let out a growl when he tried to stand up and gave Esther a grim look.

"You punched me in the face!"

Esther looked at him and found her voice again. "What are you doing here?!"

"In the face, Esther!"

"WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING. HERE?!"

"Could ask YOU the same!" Swaine grumbled and reached out for her hand but Esther jerked back, glaring at him with wide eyes.

"No! Don't touch me!" she hissed and wrapped her arms around her shoulder, shivering. Swaine looked at her in disbelief. He let out a deep sigh and run his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts in words.

"Did you really think your little midnight strolling wouldn't be recognized?" Esther opened her mouth, searching for the right words but her voice failed. Swaine cocked his head to one side, looking at her and waiting for an answer.

"So you…were awake?"

"Yup."

"The whole time?"

"Pretty much."

"Then why didn't you stop me?" Esther said and crossed her arms in front of her chest. As far as Swaine could tell he didn't even want to stop her when he saw her walking away in the night. He wanted her to get lost in the forest, alone and all by herself so that she'd never ever have the chance to bother him again. But somehow he couldn't sleep well with the thought of her getting lost and maybe even attacked by the creatures in the night. Swaine couldn't help it and even though she was a pain in the neck, he didn't want her to get hurt. He was tired and it was exhausted enough to follow her all the way up to the cliff.

"Would you have listened to me?"

The words rotated in her mind and Esther gave them a serious consideration but in the end she knew the only right answer would be…

"I don't think so."

Swaine couldn't resist, but smiled at her words. "There you go." A cold wind passed by, making the majestic treetops around them swang violently. Swaine felt pretty lousy, all he wanted was some sleep before dawn arrived. Why did everything has to be so…complicated? Is it too much to ask for?

"We should go back now, okay?" he suggested but Esther didn't answer. Apparently, she didn't even look at him, making her way down from the cliff and slightly hitting Swaine's arms with hers on purpose when she rushed past him.

"E-Esther, wait…!" he said and followed her. Esther suddenly stopped, her ponytail was rocking back and forth in the wind while her arms hang loose beside her body. Swaine could barely stop before tumbling into her back. A glacial stare was on her face when she turned around.

"You didn't apologize."

Swaine stood still, his arms wrapped around his shoulder to keep himself warm. Well, that caught him off guard. "W-What do you mean…?"  
With a deep sigh, the look on her face suddenly softened but her eyes were still sharp. "Back then in the hot spring. You hurt me, remember? And you shouted at me. You didn't apologize…"

"Yeah…about that…" he mumbled and gazed into the distance, trying to avoid her gaze. Even though it happened just a few hours ago it seemed like an eternity. He wanted to forget this awkward incidence because…well, because of what? Because he acted like a complete idiot? Since then this situation didn't leave his mind and he's sick of it. Whenever he recalled it a sudden sting appears in his heart, causing him to feel entirely uncomfortable.

"Right, uhm…look, Esther…"Swaine started and took a careful step towards her. "I-I didn't know what has gotten into me. I think I was really on the edge you know, after that horrible day and and I…"

"Just say it!" Esther hissed and crossed her arms in front of her while her body while she stomped with her foot. _Dear God, this guy is so hard of understanding!_

Swaine bit his lips in annoyance. "Fine. FINE! You want it? You can have it!" He took a theatrical deep breath and closed his eyes. "I am very sorry, Esther."  
There was an awkward silence where neither one of them dared to say another word.

Swaine slowly opened his eyes and grimaced. "Well, I said it. Can you forgive me now?" Esther gave him a blank stare when she suddenly rushed over to him and stopped very close in front of his face, tugging on his coat.

"W-wait, what are you…" his words failed him when she suddenly took a deep breath and punched his left upper arm. A dull pain spread out and Swaine had to suppress a yell. "OUCH! What was THAT for?" he rubbed his arm, surprised by the strength of the girl. Esther snickered and had to let out a guffaw. "Now I can forgive you!" she laughed and started to spin. Swaine looked at her and shook his head lightly. _Now she's completely crazy…_

His heart jumped when Esther suddenly took his hand, a thing, she had never done before. Swaine blinked and tried to read her face but she turned away from him…but he could swear he saw her blushing with embarrassment.

"I'm also sorry, Swaine", she finally said with a low voice, starring into the distance. "I said some really nasty things that can't be unsaid now…but I didn't mean it and I'm…" She gulped. "…really sorry."

Swaine felt a sudden warmth inside of him when he heard these words coming out of her mouth. Hell, he never imagined that Esther would actually really apologize to him! "Apology accepted." he smiled and looked down at her with soft eyes. Esther gave him one of her rare gentle smiles and let go of his hand.

"Just promise me one thing!" she said and gave him a serious look.

"Okay…what is it?" Swaine asked curiously and raised an eyebrow.

Esther took one step backwards and lowered her head. "Don't be like that again. You know…being that furious. You really scared me." Swaine gulped and scratched the back of his head. "Alright, I promise. See?" he showed her his little finger and stretched out his tongue like a little boy. Esther grimaced but she couldn't resist. She lifted her little finger too and both of them were making a pinky swear.

"Alright. I think we should go now. Otherwise I'm getting lost here…and that with you!" she chuckled and walked away, leaving Swaine behind her. He watched her strolling away and could tell that this apology took a load off his mind. He didn't know why, but he felt so much better now. The fight was put aside and she even smiled at him…oh my, she even took his hand! Could he consider himself as a lucky man now? Esther was still strolling in front of him, not looking back and Swaine just couldn't take his eyes off her.

Suddenly a blustering wind appeared, making the earth shake. It was so heavy that the two weren't even able to stand on their feet anymore. Esther screamed and tried to hold her balance when Swaine grabbed her and held her body close to his. "Careful!" he shouted and lowered his head. The wind dragged them back to the edge of the cliff, just as it wanted them to fall down.

The shake of the earth suddenly stopped and also the wind became calmer when dark mist appeared in front of them. Swaine and Esther looked at the spot where the black fog started to become more and more intense, growing with every second. A sudden frostiness appeared out of the nowhere, like a onset of winter, making the two of them shiver. Esther's heart pounded heavily against her chest. She knew this feeling, she has felt it before …and she gasped for air when blurry outlines of a black silhouette emerged from the darkness.

"SHADAR!"

They looked at the dark figure above them, floating in midair. Gloomy black and purple mist surrounded him, swirling up and down and revealing a chill of death everywhere. Swaine stood protectively before Esther, knowing that she didn't took her harp with her. He scolded her in his thoughts for her recklessness but this situation didn't allow an argument now. His heart was racing but he knew he had to be strong now for both of them.

"Well, well…it's been a while…" Shadar growled and lifted his head without showing his true face. A terrible and fearsome aura emanated from him, causing Esther to shiver uncontrollably. "I remember you. You two should be brokenhearted…"

As quick as lightning, Swaine took out his pistol from his coat and aimed at Shadar. Esther looked at him with eyes wide open, recognizing that Swaine's hands were shaking lightly. This was the second time they encountered him…but this time there's no Oliver to save them. No Savior of the world to save his own friends with his light magic. No Pure Hearted One to stand against the dark Djinn. They're all alone against the fearful Executor of this world.

"You really think this could stop me?" Shadar chuckled, a noise that just sounded downright sickening.

"Hah, let's find it out!" Swaine grumbled and pulled the trigger. But nothing happened. "What the…?" Swaine was confused, a puzzled look on his face when he realized the purple fog surrounding the pistol. Black swirls appeared out of the barrel, causing a burning pain in Swaine's right hand. Cursing he let it drop to the ground, the sound of cracking machine parts could be heard as the swirls broke the pistol in pieces.

"Damn!" Swaine hissed and held his burnt hand.

Esther tugged on Swaine's coat frantically. "Swaine, we gotta get out of here! We stand no chance against him!" Swaine growled something under his breath, not daring to take off his eyes of Shadar. "If you want to jump off the cliff, feel free to do so! Now stand back!" She clenched her teeth, millions of questions circulated in her mind. The fear of getting brokenhearted again, this nasty and awful feeling of being a lifeless marionette made her shudder.

_Why all of a sudden? Why is he attacking us right now?_

A cruel laughter filled the whole atmosphere around them with terror. "To think a manmade weapon could harm me…you pathetic fool…"

Shadar lifted his right hand and formed a blackish-purple sphere which grew bigger and bigger and revealed a tremendous electrical heat.

"I'll show you the true power of hatred and despair…you should feel honored!" he added and swang his right arm with dash.

Swaine's mind was completely blank, his body no longer obeyed him. At least he could protect her…but suddenly he could feel Esther's grip on his coat loosen. It was her piercing cry that brought him back to reality again. He turned his head lightly to see her blonde hair waving when she stepped forwards.

"Swaine, watch out!" Esther screamed jumping in front of him, wide-eyed and watched the dark sphere rushing towards them.

When the sphere crashed against Esther's chest, everything inside of her exploded. She could feel her heart bursting, her lung and her brain. Everything burst into pieces, making the pain impossible to bear. She opened her mouth but no words came out. The pain suddenly disappeared and everything around her became black and dull before her body hit the ground.

Swaine couldn't believe what he just saw. His body was shaking, but it started to move, much against his own will. "Esther!" he shouted and let himself fall down on his knees. "Esther! Esther! No no no no no no no this can't be happening! Esther, please, this can't be happening!" But she didn't answer. Her face was deathly pale and her eyes were closed. With shaky arms he held her body tight, buried his face in her hair.

"Sadness…" Shadar said with dark voice and shook his hood "This world is one of sadness. That's why it has to be destroyed and…" he lifted his hand once again and formed another deadly sphere, looking down at the pitiful creatures underneath him"…that's the reason why people like you have to be eliminated."

The sphere rushed towards Swaine's chest, who shut his eyes and tensed his muscles, holding Esther's body tight. He clenched his teeth and waited for his own body to break down.

_I'll get you for this! You hear me? It's not over yet!_

The pain was incredible sharp, pulsating though his whole body while furiously tearing its inside apart. It took his complete breath away and the immense power made him stumble over the cliff. Swaine's vision went black while everything happened in slow motion: The falling, the violent pain and Esther's body, which slowly slipped out of his arms.

Then there was darkness. Darkness and silence everywhere.

_Ha…I'm…I am dead? I am really dead now…_

He could feel no more pain and no feelings. There was absolutely nothing. Just an endless devouring void.

_Stupid…I didn't want to die like this. I…I wanted to say…to do so many things…Just after I've reconciled with her…_

_Wait! You are not dead!_

Somewhere deep in the void, an unknown voice appeared. It was a high, clear voice and yet it was screaming desperately.

_Who…are you?_

_You're not dead! Wake up! You have to wake up!_

_But I can't…_

_You have to try! Wake up! Save her! Otherwise she will die!_

_S-She…?_

_WAKE UP!_

The voice disappeared, leaving nothing than an echo behind. Soon the darkness slowly began to vanish and revealed a pure feeling.

There was a pound. Swaine could clearly hear it even though his ears felt completely deaf. But there was it. Again. And again. It seemed so familiar…so steady. Yet it was impossible for him to tell what it was.

_Wake up…come on now, wake up…_

He forced his body to move, forced him to open his eyes when he suddenly could hear another pound. No, he could not only hear it, he could also _feel_ it. At that very moment Swaine recognized that familiar feeling of smooth pounding around him.

It was his heartbeat.

Swaine eyes shot open. There was darkness all around him, no light anywhere. Desperately he tried to breath but the void filled his lungs with even more darkness. Now he realized that he wasn't floating, he was swimming and it was not darkness but cold water. Finally he got control over his body and moved towards the surface.

He frantically gasped for air, trying to hold his head over the water.

"I'm alive…dammit, I'm alive!" he thought and looked around him. But where's Esther? He recalled the voice from earlier, telling him to save her…otherwise she'll be dead.

"Esther…" His voice was just a breath and tried to figure something out in the dark. "Esther..!" A sudden glint caught his eyes and he swam towards it. His body was weak, it felt like every single bone was broken and his head wanted to explode in million pieces. But he can't give up…not now. Not until knowing that she was save.

The glint turned out to be an armlet…Esther's golden armlet. Swaine turned his head around, searching for another hint when he suddenly saw her, drifting slowly in the dark water. Swaine quickly dived towards her and grabbed Esther's clothes, dragging her with him to the riverside nearby.

"Don't die now…!" he hissed and struggled to keep her face above the surface. Finally he reached the riverbank, pulling himself and Esther out of the water. Swaine breathed heavily, coughing and spitting on the ground. His whole body felt shattered as if every single bone was broken. Now he couldn't even think straight anymore.

He looked down at Esther, carefully putting a hand on her cold chest. There you go, she's breathing…she's really breathing. Even though Swaine felt completely lightheaded he was overwhelmed by her heartbeat and smiled faintly.

"Thanks God…you're alive." he whispered and threw back his head.

A sudden sting pierced through his heart, right where Shadar's dark sphere had hit him. Swaine's hissed through clenched teeth and put a hand to his chest. His vision became once again black and he let his body fall sideways to the ground, the pulsating pain finally numbed him completely.


	5. Chapter 4: Dark Fever

Slowly drifting through a dark and dull tunnel of endless void, Esther realized, that it only took her a heartbeat to wake up. But she couldn't force her body to do it. She heard muffled sounds and whispers everywhere, yet she wasn't able to see a single thing in the gloomy darkness which surrounded her.

_It's a dream…it's all just a dream. If I want, I can wake up right now and everything will be alright._

A sudden noise reached her deaf ears and it sounded like…chirping? Birds? Rustling leaves? Something cold passed by, making the grass around her dance. Wait…grass? Her hands could feel something grass-like between her fingers even though her eyes were closed and her mind was still dragging her back into the void.

At this very moment Esther took the courage to wake her body up but the whole tunnel began to suck her backwards into the darkness and left her plummeting. Her life and everything and all the memories were forced out of her…and all that was left to feel was black.

It took only a split-second and her eyes opened wide. Another second to catch her breath and another one to realize that it was sunlight that pierced through the leaves of the treetops high above her. She was finally awake, lying on the ground and old trees beside her like they wanted to protect the poor girl.

Esther let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. There it was: the chirping birds, the rustling leaves and the dancing grass around her. She felt completely dizzy and her head was spinning. With a pained noise Esther tried to sit up straight when a sudden sting pierced through her chest.

And at that precise moment she remembered everything.

Shadar, the sphere and the darkness. It was all coming back to her now. Esther gasped for air and choked but the pain disappeared just as quickly as it came. She lifted her head, still breathing heavily. "Where…where am I?"

Esther's thoughts drifted away as her eyes roamed the environment around her. Panic was making its way up to her heart when she realized that she had not the slightest idea where she was. A wild scenery of green land stretched for miles in front of her. The bright blue sky was decorated with numerous gigantic fluffy clouds and a brisk wind from the north passed through the country.

The bangs of Esther's blonde hair danced with the wind as she dared to try to get up. But another jolt of pain rushed through her, making Esther fall back to the ground. But this time it wasn't the chest. It was her stomach.

"What the…?" Just then she realized that her whole upper body under her clothes from her ribs down to the hips was wrapped in bandages. And not only that. Also her arms and legs got poorly patched up. Still deep in thoughts, Esther tried to roll her exhausted body to the other side when she suddenly heard rustling and footsteps loud and clear behind her.

"Who's there?!" she shouted and tried to back off. Her heart was racing when she spotted a figure coming out of the thick shrubbery of the forest nearby. It was small, way too small to be human and it turned out to be…a Baatender.

A surprised look appeared on Esther's face. The little creature spun around and looked at the girl in amazement. It wagged its horn and let out a lovely "baaa".

"Hey, hey you! Wait for me…ah, that effing branch!" another voice appeared out of the forest, followed by a familiar figure that tumbled out of the shrubbery. Esther recognized the lanky man immediately who made some careful steps over the Baatender in order to avoid stumbling over it.

"Sheesh, you're always in the way, you know that?" The grim look on the man's face disappeared when he turned around to see Esther with her mouth open, confused-looking at him.

"Swaine?"

"Oh, so you're finally awake, huh?" Swaine gave her a smirk but got distracted by the Baatender who rubbed his wooly mane against the man's leg, calling out even more lovely "baaas".

"Will you stop doing that?" Swaine let out a pained noise when he stomped with his right foot and that was the moment when Esther noticed that Swaine was limping. His right lower leg was totally wrapped up in bandages and all his clothes were ripped on several parts. Which reminded her that her clothes didn't look better at all.

Swaine shook off his little admirer and slowly went over to Esther…well, actually he limped over to her and carefully sat down on the ground. Esther still looked at him in disbelief. He looked the worse for wear, there were scratches and bruises everywhere on his arms and she could imagine that he hides even more under his clothes.

"Are you okay?" His voice brought her back to reality and Swaine stretched out his hand and gently placed it on her forehead.

Esther was so surprised that she reflexively tried to back off and looked at him with wide eyes. "Alright, don't worry. I won't hurt you." Swaine realized his silly behavior and quickly took back his hands.

"What happened? Swaine, what happened to us?" Esther finally managed to blurt out the words that have been racing in her mind since she woke up. Leaves fluttered in the brisk wind and emphasized the apparent calm.

A surprised look appeared on Swaine's face when he heard her words. "Are you serious? You don't remember?"

"Of course I do! But I don't…I don't understand!" Esther's voice was trembling as she tried to stand up but a jolt of pain rushed through her body once again. She had to suppress a yell and tumbled back down. A dull pain spread out in her head, she could feel it. A headache. Or even worse.

"Carefully, Esther! Do you know how long it took me to patch you up?" Esther lifted her head and glanced at Swaine. "Wait…YOU did this?" At this very second, Swaine regretted saying it but Esther still had an astonished look on her face. "How did you…?"

"I always carry bandages with me. But since you're the healer of our group…" his voice failed him and he looked to the other side, revealing a large scratch on the left side of his face. "…I didn't need them anymore." Hell, he had not the slightest idea why he told her that. It was kinda embarrassing for him.

"So…you took care of me?"Esther gave him a skeptical smile. She couldn't still believe what she had just heard and shook her head lightly. Esther had to chuckle to herself. "Didn't expect that from you."

_Touché, babana girl!_

Swaine bit his lip in annoyance as he slowly stood up but Esther could clearly see that he was blushing deeply. Seems like she struck a nerve…

"Yes, I did! I'm not as useless as you always think!" He crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying to hide his anger. What an annoying brat! Once in a while he tried to be nice and helpful, saving that blonde chick from drowning and patching up her wounds and what's the reward? Nothing but scorn and derision!

"I-I…I didn't even say that! What's wrong with you, did you hit your head somewhere?" Esther said angrily and crossed her arms too. What happened? That wasn't even an insult and he's already mad at her! Stupid idiot! Good-for-nothing thief! Useless ex-prince!

"Ah, forget it! Where are we here?" Esther turned her head and looked at the land around her. Another soft wind passed through and her clothes softly rocked back and forth. Swaine scratched the back of his head, avoiding her gaze.

"Guess we're somewhere in the western parts of the Rolling Hills." He pointed eastbound. "I bet Ding Dong Dell must be there."

"And how do we get there? By walking?" Esther said with a harsh voice and sat up straight. Seriously, she didn't really feel like walking now in her physical state. For God's sake, she could barely stand up! And being in the middle of nowhere wasn't motivational at all.

Swaine gave her a mocking smile and made a ridiculous gesture in front of her. "I'm so sorry! Where did I put my magic whistle so that I can summon my flying carpet?" He quickly rifled through the pockets of his coat. "Oh no, seems like I've lost it while I was trying to rescue YOU!"

Esther's jaw dropped but Swaine was not done yet. "Of course we have to walk! Or do you have a better idea?" Esther's patience just snapped. "Stop it! I got it okay? I got-" her voice failed and sharp scream escaped her lungs.

"Esther?" His anger vanished and he kneeled beside her but didn't dare to touch the girl. "Are you alright? E-Esther, I…"

"Spare me!" she spat the words and narrowed her eyes. There it was again. Her body cramped as a sharp sting hit her chest but this time there was something else. She could see something purple glowing in her hands when she slowly opened her eyes. But it weren't her hands that glowed melancholy…it was her chest.

"What…what is this?" Esther let out a shriek as she looked down at her. There were black lines on her chest, she could clearly see them through the neckline of her shirt. It was a black image of a…what, a glowing heart?

"Don't tell me you didn't notice?" Swaine interrupted her thoughts and glanced down at the panting girl. Esther lifted her head and looked in the grey eyes of the man above her.

"Notice what, Swaine?!"

The thief let out a deep sigh and took off his coat. He dropped it carelessly on the ground, like always and just as Esther thought, there were a lot of bruises on his arms. "What are you…?"

"This." Swaine hissed and pulled up his bleached orange shirt with one hand. There it was, right on his chest. A heart shaped, black mark. Esther gasped for air when she saw it. She was flabbergasted at this sight.

"What...what is this? And why isn't yours glowing?" Thousand questions spun through her head. Pulling down his shirt and straighten it a bit, Swaine gave her a short glimpse before putting on his coat again. "I have no idea." was the only thing he managed to say. "But the sooner we get back to civilization, the better it will be for both of us."

Swaine sighed in frustration. His body was still arching and protested against every little movement he wanted to make. Besides, waking up with a probably cursed mark on his chest wasn't the best way to start a day in a lost and godforsaken place like this.

"I guess this is all Shadar's fault…that sick bastard."

"S-Shadar…?" Esther's voice was just a breath and her body began to shudder.

So it really happened. The Dark Djinn really attacked them yesterday. And…did he really kill her? Did this really happen or was her fading memory just playing a prank on her? A disgusting jolt rushed through her skull, through her spine and down through her ribs. No, this can't be true.

_No. No no no no. That's impossible..._

"Esther?" Swaine flicked with his finger in front of her face and Esther glared at him. "Where is he?!" she shouted and Swaine jerked back, surprised by her sudden scream "What do you mean?"

"Are you dumb? Shadar! What if he's still here?!" Esther drew her knees to her chest, looking in all direction."What if he's still somewhere near? What if he finds out that we're still alive? He surely had his own reasons for attacking us while being alone and I swear to God, he will so it again if he finds us!"

"Esther, he's not here." Swaine tried to calm the girl down, not only because her hysterical yelling was annoying. "If he was here, he would have already found us. He must be in the belief that we are…" Swaine gulped, he didn't dare to say the word.

"Dead!" Esther spat. "Right…" Swaine rolled his eyes in annoyance and carefully stood up. A pang rushed through his limp. God, he cursed that goddamn sharp rock in the river that slit his leg! "Come on now. Get up." he said and looked down at her.

Esther returned a quick look. "I can't…whenever I try, it hurts and …OW!"

The Baatender, which remained silent the whole time, ran clumsily over to them and stumbled into Esther's lap. Swaine couldn't hold back a laughter when the creature snuggled up against Esther. "Haha, very funny!" she hissed and wanted to push the sheep gently aside but stopped. "By the way...where did you find it, Swaine?"

"The Baatender? I was looking for something to eat in the woods and there that little fellow appeared out of the nowhere. Seems he got fond of me." he added with a smirk. "And since then he kept following me."

"I see…" Esther mumbled and stroked the mane of the sheep, which gave her a cheerful "BAA!" in return. She was jealous. So jealous. The day before she was looking everywhere for a Baatender and now Swaine, he of all people was lucky enough to stumble over one in the middle of nowhere. Wait a second…

"You know that this isn't a Baatender, right?" Swaine raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What else could it be?"

"A Baabarian! Swaine, don't tell me you didn't notice?" Esther said and kept stroking the mane of the sheep much to its amusement. "The mane is yellow and its body is a darker blue. By the way, it's much bigger than a Baatender."

"Whatever." Swaine sighed and made a random gesture with his hand. "I bet it could lead us to Ding Dong Dell since it wants to be with me." Something ached in Esther's chest.

_Envy. This idiot…who wants to be with you anyway?_

"Fine. Would you kindly help me up?" she said in a rather condescending tone. Swaine rolled his eyes once again and gave the girl a helping hand. "Of course, Your Highness" he added mockingly. He pulled her up to her feet and Esther ignored his mockery and the sharp sting in her belly. The mark had already stopped glowing.

"Shut up." she hissed. Esther took a look around while Swaine shook his head and made some steps forward. "I think I better call Gogo…" Esther closed her eyes. The nearness of her dear familiar, her friend, would do her good.

"Wait, don't!" Swaine screamed and tumbled towards her but it was already too late. Esther had already concentrated on the pink orb that lies within her heart but when she wanted to summon it, a sudden electrical heat hit her chest. The pain took away her breath and her eyes flew open. Her body stumbled backwards into the tree but the electric jolt still rushed through her body.

Swaine rushed over to her and gently shook her shoulders. "You can't call your familiars! I tried it too but…it also happened to me. Must be the mark, I guess. I forgot to tell you…" Esther gasped for air and gave the older man a nasty look. The purple flashes slowly disappeared into her chest but Esther was angry. So goddamn angry right now.

"Oh, you FORGOT to tell me?!" she yelled and shoved Swaine rudely out of her way "Or did you want me to get hurt?!"

Swaine looked at in complete bewilderment. "I forgot it! I didn't want you to get hurt!" His was highly indignant at her preposterous allegation but Esther didn't care. "Save your excuses! You…god, you will never change! You idiot!"

"Do me a favor and shut up!" Swaine was at the end of his patience. He squeezed the spot between his eyes. "I forgot it, okay? Besides, there're worse things we have to worry about!"

"Don't talk to me like that or..!" Esther made some shaky steps towards the man and tugged on his coat. "Or what?" Swaine growled and grabbed her by her hands. "Will you beat me up with your little fists?"

Esther snorted and wrenched from his grasp. "Maybe!"

Swaine groaned and shook his head. He didn't want to argue with her, instead he decided to swallow his whole anger. He didn't really fancy doing that. "I'm sorry…" he muttered even though he didn't feel sorry at all but Swaine didn't want to waste more time. "Come on now…we better make a move."

Esther took a deep breath and turned away from the thief. The girl didn't want to spend her time in the wild longer than necessary.

_And with that idiot by my side…great, that's a fat chance! Congratulation, Esther! You just won the jackpot!_

The sun was standing high in the sky, it had to be shortly after noon. Swaine limped towards the Baabarian and kneeled down in front of it. "Hey you…could you please show us the way to Ding Dong Dell?" The sheep looked at him with its familiar sleepy eyes and wagged it horn casually. Swaine ran his fingers through his messy hair and gave the creature a smile. "You can stay with us. How does that sound, hm?"

The Baabarian made an elegant backflip and "baaed" at Swaine before running through the shrubbery of the forest nearby. "What now?" Esther asked and watched the sheep disappear. "You really think it can lead us back to Ding Dong Dell?" Thinking that all they could rely on now was some wild and sheepish Baabarian was not a great flicker of hope.

Swaine shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it's better than nothing."

_Hell would be better than nothing!_

Just before Esther took another step, something important struck her mind and she let out a shriek. "What's wrong?" Swaine spun around and looked at the girl with wide eyes.

"Oliver!" Esther shouted, panic written all over her face. "What's with Oliver? He must be still out there too! We must find him!"

_Oliver. Of course…Oliver here, Oliver there. She always worries about the boy but never about me._

Swaine felt rather disappointed. Undoubtedly he liked Oliver, without the boy he would still be broken hearted. But the fact that Esther cared so much about the young wizard made him furious. Was he worth nothing? Wait…why is he angry? Should she mother him! He didn't care!

"If Oliver got half a brain he will stay in Ding Dong Dell and wait for us! Now come on, we don't have all day!"

Esther was shocked by his sudden fury but didn't dare to say a word. Did she hit another weak point?

"Idiot!" she muttered to herself.

So, the both of them followed the Baabarian eastbound through the small woods of the area. Swaine said it would be better to go through the woods because the monsters in the Rolling Hills prefer the open landscape over the dark undergrowth of the forests. And in this situation it was best to avoid any act of fighting, since they have lost their weapons and no familiars to use. But they were making only slow progress due to their injuries.

* * *

Evening was approaching when Esther began to feel feverish.

First it was only that gnawing feeling of a light headache but then her vision became blurry and a racking pain wanted to crack her skull in pieces. Swaine noticed that Esther began to lag behind but he was pretty sure that's due to her exhaustion and the injuries, so he didn't dare to say a word.

But shortly after he heard a muffled sound and something tumble to the ground. "Esther?" Swaine turned around, finding her sitting on her knees and leaning against a trunk. Esther's eyes were closed while she tried to catch her breath. "Esther!" Swaine rushed towards her and ignored the keen pain in his right leg.

"Hey, girl? Can you stand up?" Swaine tried to help her but Esther slapped away his helping hand. "I'm fine!" she snorted and tried to stand up on her own. A sharp pain stung through her stomach but Esther ignored it. Swaine watched the girl struggling for a while when he quickly placed a flat hand on her forehead.

"You…you have a temperature. Hey, when did you-" he didn't finish his sentence when Esther let out a curse and stomped past him.

"Ridiculous! I'm fine, I'm pretty fine!" Esther put her hands on her hips. She surely wanted to look confident but the headache was getting worse with every second.

"What's your problem? Seriously, Ding Dong Dell isn't running away from us!" Swaine said with an angry voice. He wasn't eager for Esther to collapse in the middle of the forest just because of her stubbornness.

"Mind your own friggin' business! Things are already bad enough!" Esther was breathing heavily and she couldn't think straight anymore. This stupid thief who treated her like a naïve child didn't make her feel better at all.

"Well, things could be worse." Swaine muttered and shrugged his shoulders.

"But things could also be better, Swaine!" Esther screamed and stomped with her foot on the ground. "Just look around you! Look at that godforsaken place in the middle of the nowhere! We have nothing to eat, we have no weapons, we're both heavily injured and last but not least, we have NO familiars!"

Swaine remained silent and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I always thought I'm the pessimistic one of us." he said and couldn't hide a mocking smile.

"Oh, don't give me that! Don't make fun of me now!" Esther's body suddenly started to balance and her vision became blurry once again. Her hands rested on her head while a nasty sting pierced through her chest. The mark began to glow lightly and she could feel how the fever spread out.

"Esther, you need to rest. Come on…" Swaine said and glared at the glowing spot on her chest. It's the mark. The mark brought on the temperature and made Esther furious. Swaine slowly reached out his hand and carefully placed it on her shoulder, even though he knew that this would make her snap.

"NO!" A deafening cry made him jerk back, looking at the exhausted girl in front of him. Her weak body was trembling and she breathed hard. But the look on her face was as sharp as always, allowing no softness. "Don't touch me! Leave me alone!"

"Don't be so stubborn! Just look at you, you're totally wrecked!"

"Hah! I don't need your help…!" Esther repeated furiously and tried to keep her balance. She made some shaky steps backwards but didn't take off her eyes of Swaine who looked at her in disbelief.

"I'VE NEVER NEEDED YOU!"

Esther wanted to shout once again, but was silenced when Swaine suddenly grabbed her by the hand and pulled her close. A surprised look appeared on the girl's face when Swaine wrapped his arms around her and tightened his grip firmly.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!" Esther tried to free herself from the forced embracement, scratching and biting Swaine while screaming muffled threats. Her head wanted to explode in thousand pieces but right now she was in such a helpless rage that she couldn't think of anything else than getting out of Swain's grip.

Swaine bit his lip and let out a pained noise when she managed to scratch one of the injuries on the back.

_This girl! Sheesh, you better be worth it!_

LET GO OF ME! I-I…! Esther's voice suddenly failed and her body became slack. Her hands were searching for support and held onto Swaine's shirt. There was a silence, followed by a sudden sobbing. After a while Swaine decided it was best to loosen his grip around her, revealing the sobbing girl underneath him.

"You know, you kind of disappoint me. I never thought that I'd see you this weak." he finally said with a cold voice and looked down at Esther.

Hot tears dammed up in the corner of Esther's eyes and ran down her checks. She was struck by his words. Whatever she had been expecting, it was not that. She knew that she looked like a picture of misery but that wasn't the worst part of it. The worst part was that this man in front of her who threw all these cruel and nasty things at her head. It was like a knife that ran through her heart and twisted itself several times to make it even worse.

"S-Shut up…" her voice was caught in her throat and she still had to hold onto him. She knew that when she if let go, her legs would give in. A chilly wind passed through the forest, making the leaves on the ground dance around their legs. Esther's body was trembling but she didn't care.

Something warm suddenly got wrapped around her shoulders. She cracked her eyes open and recognized that it was Swaine's coat. "W-What…?" Her voice was thin when Swaine reached out a hand and clumsily wiped away the tears that ran down her red cheeks.

"Shh…it's alright." He leaned forward to be at eye level with the girl. Esther was surprised by the sudden soft tone of his voice. Something twisted inside of her heart…but this time it was not a knife.

"I know we aren't the luckiest people right now…" He gave her a soft smile. "But I promise I'll get you out of here. Okay?" Swaine placed a hand on the top of her head and Esther could only think about the twisting feeling in her heart that wanted to explode.

"O-okay…" was all the girl managed to get out of her brunign throat. She wrapped his coat tighter around her body and hid her face in the collars. Esther didn't want him to see her blushing all over.

"Alright then!" Swaine stretched himself and looked upwards into the sky. Night has already fallen over the Rolling Hills once again and the usual chilly wind blew through the land. The Baabarian tumbled over to them and looked eagerly at his human fellows.

Esther turned to the little creature that rubbed itself on her leg. She couldn't help herself but she had to smile. "I-I think we should go on-…uuah!"

Arms suddenly wrapped around her waist and lifted the girl up. In the next moment Esther found herself held by Swaine, who gave her a mocking smile. "I don't think you can walk pretty far with that fever." he said and shifted her in his arms.

Esther's heart pounded heavily against her chest while she looked at him with dizzy eyes. "But-but your leg!" Swaine took some shaky steps and grimaced. Esther wasn't that heavy but the extra weight he had to carry now wasn't easy to handle. Nevermind, he promised he would get her out of here and he will prove her wrong that a thief doesn't always break his promises.

"It's okay…hey sheep, we need a shelter for the night!"

The Baabarian let out a cheerful "baaa!" and tumbled into the forest. Swaine was surprised by its power and was sure that the Baabarian would make a great fountain of enthusiasm for Oliver and his locket. With shaky steps he followed the little creature deeper into the forest for a while. The pain in his right leg got worse with every move and he was pretty exhausted after a short time. A dull darkness surrounded him, the only lights he managed to see were fireflies everywhere.

"Esther, look…huh?" Swaine gently nudged her but he realized that she had already fallen asleep in his arms. Hmm, he wondered when this happened...

A sudden "BAA!" brought him back to his senses. Seemed like his little fellow found a shelter for the night. Swaine was so thankful because he wasn't able to take another step. It was a well hidden place, covert by shrubbery and old oak trees.

He laid Esther carefully on the ground and made sure that she was fully covered in his coat. It got quiet chilly now and Swaine was shuddering with cold. But he knew that Esther needed it more so…he will remain a true Gentleman. Swaine let out a deep sigh when he leaned against the trunk of a mighty oak tree. His whole body was arching and he was hungry. Hell, he didn't eat anything today. Usually he was used to it but in his current physical state…well, he just should find something to eat tomorrow morning.

Swaine crossed his arms behind his head and watched his little fellow. The Baabarian pawed with its hooves before it finally slumped to the ground and wrapped itself into a furry ball of wool. A light chuckle escaped Swaine's lips. Oh yes, he'll definitely keep this one, that's for sure.

A sudden sting pierced through his chest. Swaine hissed in pain and arched his back. "Why…why all of a sudden?" The mark glowed underneath his shirt but the purple light went out as quickly as it came. And so the pain disappeared. The thief let out a deep sigh as a chill ran down his spine. First Esther…and now him? What's the point of all this?

It was her muffled whisper that caught his attention all of a sudden. "S-Swaine…"

Swaine had to jerk at this sound and lifted his head abruptly. "What the…Esther?" He thought that she was already asleep, resting next to him while he tried his best to combat tiredness. But nope, there she was, lying on the ground and still snuggled up in his coat.

Oh, what should he do, what should he do? The thief racked his brain but in the end he decided to do something stupid.

He went over to Esther and carefully lifted her up from the ground. His back ached but he ignored the pain as well as his limp. Swaine turned back to his place and slid down the tree trunk. "Perhaps…" he thought and held Esther's body tight. "Perhaps she can sleep better when she isn't alone."

_Oh great, what a stupid idea._

It was strange. This whole feeling was strange and he couldn't remember when he last felt that awkward. But back in the hot spring…it was the same feeling. It was like a hand wrapped its fingers around his heart and kept squeezing it. At first only lightly but then it became stronger, causing him to breath heavy.

_No, no way! Don't even think about it!_

Esther's dazed head rested against his chest, mumbling incomprehensible words and Swaine prayed desperately that she wouldn't hear the loud pounding of his heart. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath of cold evening air and tried to calm himself down. Of course it didn't work.

So many different things rushed through his mind, things he wished to do here and now and things he wasn't proud of even thinking of. It felt…good? Yes, it sure did, holding someone so close but Swaine couldn't shake off the feeling that it was wrong. So goddamn wrong on so many goddamn levels.

_She's still so young…I mean, look at you! You're freaking old!_

His scolding words got interrupted when Esther suddenly moved in his arms, letting out a quiet moan. Slowly he started to brush away some hair from her face, whispering a gentle 'shh' when he did so.

"You're really driving me crazy…" he smiled and tightened his grip a little more.

Swaine let out a deep sigh and shut his eyes. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Even though it was just for a second, it felt like an eternity. At least for him.

"Swaine…?" Esther's eyelids were in motion, her lips formed his name. Swaine's heart jumped at this precise moment. "I-I am sorry! I didn't mean to…I swear, I slipped!"

How could he be so stupid? Giving Esther a kiss while she's having feverish dreams! You idiot!

"You…you're here?" Esther muttered and cracked one eye half open. A surprised look appeared on Swaine's face. "Esther? Are you…are you dreaming?"

"You're here…but I saw you leaving…" she opened her other eye and huddled up against Swaine's chest. The man was taken aback by her sudden movement and took a deep breath.

_Oooooh, this must be the fever. She would never, NEVER do this._

All conviction aside, he somehow enjoyed this intimacy and the fact, that Esther did the unwittingly but first move was somewhat amusing.

"You were leaving…" her voice cracked as she closed her eyes again. "You just…left me alone…" There was sadness hidden in her hushed voice and Swaine couldn't help himself but to feel guilty, even though it was all just a dream.

"Stupid girl." he groaned and tugged his coat tighter around her shoulder, knowing that she had already fallen asleep again.

He gulped and tried his best to stay strong. After all, he didn't want to get lulled by her sudden soft line approach. And yet he couldn't help himself.

_You're so stupid…_

"Where the hell should I go? Come on…" he gave her another gingerly kiss on her forehead. Swaine couldn't tell why he did it. He didn't even want to but he couldn't stop either.

"I won't leave you. Neither now nor later."

And with these words and Esther in his arms he could feel himself finally falling into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 5: Intimacy

"Where are they?"

Oliver's voice cracked when he turned around and stared at the wide green land of the Rolling Hills behind him. The young wizard and his fairy were nearing the gates of Ding Dong Dell but Oliver's restless thoughts were still somewhere else.

It's been a day now since Esther and Swaine had disappeared. Just like that. Without saying another word they were just gone. Oliver still couldn't believe it. When he woke up, he found himself alone in the middle of nowhere. His dearest friends…gone. Neither did they leave a note nor anything else. It was as if they just vanished from one second to another.

Right now Oliver cursed himself for being such a sound sleeper. If he would have been awake only…

"Oi, Ollie-boy! C'mon, make a move, will ya?" Drippy hopped over to his young friend and tugged on his trousers but Oliver simply ignored him.

"They…they wouldn't do that, right?"

"Do what, Ollie-boy?"

"They wouldn't leave me…they would never do that…" the young wizard's voice failed as he held Esther's harp tight to his chest.

Why…why was Esther gone but her harp was still here? Oliver couldn't imagine her being so reckless. She would never ever go anywhere without her harp. Then again…where's Swaine? The thief always carried his pistol with him, he knew that. But why would, of all people, these two who disliked each other so much disappear together? It made no sense at all!

Oliver lowered his head blinked back the tears in his eyes. Yet again, he was alone. He hated this feeling so much…

"Nah, don't say that! Esther's way too smart to do that and the ol' crank…" Drippy searched for the right words but only shook his lantern vigorously. "Whatever! To put it in a nutshell, they wouldn't do that, I can tell ya!"

"I know but…" Oliver lifted his head and wiped away the tears with his sleeve "…but what if something happened to them? What if they are in danger? I have to find them!"

The Lord High Lord of the Fairies looked up to his companion and shook his head. "Of course ya have! But right now we need to go back to Ding Dong Dell!"

"But they are my friends, Mr. Drippy! I can't do that!"

Drippy took a deep breath and made an elegant jump on the wizard's head.

"I KNOW! But where will ya search for them, hm? Flippin' heck, you've no idea where they could be! And first o' all we need to cocker you up! Just look at ya, Ollie-boy!"

The fairy was right. Oliver looked still pretty exhausted because of the creatures he had to fight on his way to Ding Dong Dell. And Drippy knew how weary this could be for the boy without his magic. He didn't want Oliver to get in any unnecessary danger.

"Yes…you're probably right" Oliver finally admitted and let out a deep sigh. "But you really think we can get any hints in Ding Dong Dell?"

"Flippin' yeah! You better ask the mongers and merchants! Ah, and the lumberjacks!" Oliver raised an eyebrow, curiosity written all over his face.

"Mongers and lumberjacks, huh? Why would they have any useful information for me?"

"Becaaaaause…" Drippy said and ran his little finger through the boy's messy hair "…these folks linger in every flippin' quarter of the Summerlands! 'specially the lumberjacks! Maybe they've seen or heard some rumors about our friends!"

_Maybe…let's better hope for it._

Drippy jumped off the boy's head and made some bouncy steps towards the city gate. "Tidy! Now, come on!" Oliver nodded and got in motion but he took one last glance at the Rolling Hills behind him.

_Esther...Swaine…please be alright!_

* * *

Esther bent over the edge of the small river and washed her hands, humming her usual catchy melody.

It was somewhat between mid-morning and noon and the sun was already high in the sky. A soft breeze blew through the green land and made the leaves in the high treetops rustle around her. When finished with washing, Esther looked upwards in the sky, closing her eyes. The nasty fever from yesterday evening was gone, she felt already better. But…

But today, when she woke up, she found herself lying in Swaine's arms. That was…pretty surprising, now that she thought about it. She didn't remember much about yesterday, beside the fact that she kinda freaked out and acted like a fury. Remembering how Swaine was holding her made her head dizzy. Esther had to admit that it was somewhat embarrassing and yet…yet she liked it. She couldn't explain it! What was this fuzzy feeling in her chest?

Without noticing, her heart started to race and she had to blush deeply.

_Oh no…no way! There's no way I like this lanky, good-for-nothing thief!_

"Stupid idiot." she mumbled and put her head in her hands in order to cover the blush.

And the thought that Swaine took care of her once AGAIN made this feeling even worse. Thinking about that made Esther feel weak and uneasy. Why all of a sudden? Why was he so…caring? She never liked him very much and she was pretty sure that he felt the same way. They were like water and oil…did not mix! After all, the two of them were constantly arguing about every little thing. They hardly could talk "normal" to each other, arguing and screaming was somehow their way of communication and now…

Esther let out a deep sigh and listened to the babbling of the river to get distracted from her thoughts. But it didn't help at all, in fact, she got even more lost in them.

That dream she had yesterday night was coming back to her. And even though it was just a dream, it felt so incredibly real. It was not like a dream anymore, it reminded more of a…prediction. But that's ridiculous… And yet she felt her heart pounding heavy against her ribs as she clenched her fists. _Am I afraid? Afraid of what? That he will leave me?_

"Hah, no way. Swaine won't leave, he…" she cursed herself in thoughts for having those silly feelings. "What the-…why do I even care? He's a thief! And a miserable one too!"

Esther threw her hands in the air as if she expected something to fall from the sky. Trying to ignore this fuzzy feeling in her stomach. "I don't care! You hear me?! I DON'T CARE!"

A sudden noise behind her made Esther turn around and she saw the Baabarian tumbling out of the shrubbery. The creature stomped with its hooves on the gravel and snuggled itself up against Esther's arm.

"Aww, you're way too cute!" Esther said and stroke the fluffy mane of the sheep. It let out a cheerful "baa" and turned around. There was something spiked on its horn. "What is that…oh, you found another one!"

It was a red apple, even though it looked a bit unripe. The girl took the apple and laid it to the other ones beside her. "Now…one, two, three, four, five!" Esther scratched the back of her head and looked at her poor haul.

She remembered that they had not eaten anything yesterday and Esther was kind of woken up by her rumbling stomach that sounded like a howling beast. So she decided to find something to eat on her own…of course with the help of her little fellow. Five apples weren't a banquet at all, but it was better than nothing. After all, she wanted to pay back Swaine for taking care of her. This reminded her…

"I should go back now" she said deep in thoughts. If Swaine woke up and found out that she was strolling around he would probably freak out.

The Baabarian stretched itself and looked up to Esther with sleepy eyes. Esther gave it another stroke and chuckled to herself. No, she wasn't jealous. In fact, it was kind of a childish envy. Even though it was Swaine's new familiar, she loved that little sheep and she could tell that she was only _a little bit_ jealous anymore.

"Hmm...we should think about a name for you." Esther said. "How about…Rumer? Oh that sounds nice! But pssst, the old jerk must give you that name, otherwise you're not _his_ familiar!"

Just when Esther turned around and wanted to stand up, a cutting wind made her tumble back. Something as fast as lightning rushed out of the forest and dashed towards the girl. It all happened so fast and Esther was way too shocked to recognize the creatures at a glance. All she could do was to cover her head with her arms in order to shield her eyes when sharp claws started to scratch and tear her skin. Esther let out a piercing scream when she somehow managed to push her attackers away. Warm blood ran down her arms, she could see it as her eyes opened wide.

"Firebrydes?!" Esther screamed and looked at the three flying creatures in front of her. The Baabarian stood protectively before the girl but the Firebrydes were way too fast for it.

One of them dashed lightning-fast towards Esther, its claws outstretched and ready to claw out her eyes. In the last second Esther screamed and stumbled backwards into the river. Thanks god, the water wasn't deep at all but the sharp and slick stones hurt. The bird made a backflip in the air and returned to its companions while another one was attacking the Baabarian with a storm attack.

Esther's heart was racing as her hands were searching for something in the river she could use as a weapon. "Dammit!" she thought. "I've to defense myself! There has to be something…ha!"

Her fingers wrapped around a long but solid stick. With shaky legs she tried to stand up and ignored the sharp pain in her arms. Badly equipped, she was still standing in the river, watching how the Baabarian made an attack that reminded her of "Demon's Fury". One of the Firebrydes got badly hit but it didn't surrender at all.

"One, two…wait, where's the third one?"

Esther frowned when she suddenly heard a high pitched cry behind her. Without a warning the third Firebryde rushed down at her but Esther was fast enough to take cover from the attack. The sharp claws missed her head just a few inches.

"Oh! So that's how we play, huh?!"

She wrapped her fingers tighter around the stick when the flying creature shot towards her but this time Esther was prepared. She swung the stick at full tilt and hit the bird right on its head. A cracking sound could be heard and the Firebryde tumbled down on the ground, totally knocked out.

"Ha! Bring it on!"

Esther enjoyed her short triumph but that made the other Firebrydes even more furious. One of them swung his wings wildly and belched flames that rushed towards the girl. Esther wanted to dodge the attack but she had underestimated the speed of it and so she covered her face with her arms.

The flames burnt her skin and Esther had to blink back the tears that shot in her eyes because of the pain. The mark on her chest started to glow and a sting pierced through her body.

"No…it can't be! Not now!" she panted and tried to stand tall, her teeth clenched.

_I can do this! I'm not weak! I will NOT surrender!_

* * *

Swaine's eyes shot open when a familiar pang pierced through his chest.

The thief gasped sharply for air. _Dear GOD, what is this?!_ Swaine arched his back in pain and was afraid his spine would crack. But the pain disappeared quickly and left him shuddering. He slowly leaned back against the oak tree and rubbed his sleepy eyes, trying to clear his mind.

"What an awful night…" he mumbled as he remembered what had happened yesterday. And just as he wanted to stand up, he recognized that his coat was lying on his lap.

"What the...but I gave my coat to-"

Swaine's voice cracked when he realized that there was no blonde girl around him. He was completely alone. Suddenly his mind went blank for a moment.

_Wait a second…_

"No…she DID NOT!" he screamed and jumped on his feet, ignoring the keen pain his right limp. Swaine looked desperately around him, but there was no sign of the girl. Where did she go? Where the hell did she go?!

Right now he was burned up with anger because of her repeated recklessness. He just couldn't believe how careless she acted! With a snort he headed away, hoping that he would find the girl as soon as possible.

"Oooh, just you wait, missy!" he panted with rage "I'll kick your pretty little ass, Esther!"

* * *

"Kyaaah!"

Another storm attack rushed by and Esther could dodge it in the last moment. She was already exhausted and pretty sure that the strike from earlier was just a lucky hit. Her whole body was hurting but she tried her best to keep cool.

Esther stood straddle-legged when one of the two Firebrydes dashed down at her with claws outstretched. She held her stick tight in front of her and the creature wrapped its sharps claws around it as if it wanted to disarm her.

But the girl swung around whirled the bird away. With dash she hit the back of the Firebryde which let out a pained cry. At that precise moment the other Firebryde shot towards her with a piercing screech. Esther tensed her body, ready to dodge the attack.  
Suddenly the Baabarian jumped in front of the Firebryde and dashed forward the enemy. With a rather elegant movement it gave the bird a fierce headbutt that made it fly back and tumble to the ground.

Esther opened her mouth and cheered. "That was great!"

The Baabarian landed back on its hooves and lowered his head, its horn flashing threateningly in the sunlight. The creature let out a growl, a sound Esther had not heard before and ran towards the last Firebryde.

But the enemy was faster. It flew high in the air and swung his wings violently, causing a sharp wind whooshing by. The Baabarian was caught off guard and sailed through the air, crashing down on the gravel.

"No!" Esther screamed when the wind wrested the stick out of her hand. The Firebryde rushed in her direction and let out a deafening cry. Esther eyes widened when suddenly something black hit the side of the bird's head.

The Firebryde was stopped in motion and dropped knocked out to the ground.

"W-what…?" Esther stuttered and stared down at the knocked down bird. The Baabarian pulled itself together and shook the dirt off his wooly mane, letting out an indignant "baa!". Rustling leaves brought Esther back to senses when she spotted someone coming out of the shrubbery.

"Swaine!" Esther quickly turned her head to see the thief. He had a blank expression on his face and in his right hand he held one of the black stones that hit the Firebryde earlier. But he was boiling with rage.

"Thanks god you came along, I- WOAH!" Esther let out a scream when the stone Swaine was holding a second ago flew through the air and barely missed Esther's head.

"Are you mad?! You could have killed me!" Swaine glared daggers at the girl, knowing that he had just lost his temper.

"F-firebrydes?!" he shouted and threw his hands in the air. "FIREBRYDES, ESTHER?!"

Esther just gaped at him and she opened her mouth to scream her head off but…she didn't. Instead Esther lowered her head and closed her eyes in embarrassment, thinking about what she had done. Running away without telling, getting herself in danger without being armed. And overall, she couldn't believe that she acknowledged to herself that she was _stupid_.

_Ugh…he's mad. And it's my fault. Great…great, Esther._

"I'm…I'm sorry…" she hissed through clenched teeth while avoiding Swaine's deadly glare. The thief snorted and limped towards her.

"You're WHAT?!" he snapped at her and Esther winced.

"I'm sorry! Okay?! I'm sorry!" she suddenly screamed and glanced at her opponent with a furious look.

"You better are! Did you know how worried I was?! Sheesh, Esther, you cannot simply disappear like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Swaine stopped yelling for a second and took a deep breath to calm down. This girl…she's driving him crazy! There was an uneasy silence until Esther opened her mouth and spoke insecure.

"Sooo…you were worried about me?" She lowered her head and gave the thief a faint smile, her voice sounding somewhat jeeringly.

"O-of course I was! You…oh my god, what did you do?!" Swaine quickly grabbed one of Esther's arms and looked at all the bruises and the blood. "What happened to your arms?"

"Oh, this?" Esther made a gesture with her hand. "The Firebrydes attacked me. No big deal, really."

Swaine looked at her in disbelief and cursed something under his breath. "Sit down."

"What?" Esther looked at him but Swaine just grabbed her by her shoulders and forced the girl to sit down on the ground. Esther was surprised by this movement but she didn't fight against it. Swaine took a seat in front of her and searched in the inner pockets of his coat for his bandages. "Damn…" he mumbled when he finally revealed a little role of bandages. "I think this isn't enough to cover all your bruises…"

Nevermind, she thought. Esther shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "That's just a scratch, really. It barely hurts anymore."

"Oh, shut up you…" Swaine frowned at her and began to unwrap the bandages. "Just a _scratch_!" he thought and shook his head in annoyance. He carefully took her arm and inspected it. "You're lucky, the wound isn't deep…" he said lost in thoughts and began to bandage her left arm. "But that was still stupid! I mean, really Esther, a _stick_?"

The girl gave him an indignant glare and snorted. "Well, it was better than nothing. And you took a stone! That's not better at all!" The thief stopped in motion and gave her a mocking smile. "At least I can AIM!"

Esther ignored his mockery and remained silent. She watched how Swaine gently took care of her bruises and somehow…this made her feel uncomfortable. When their eyes suddenly met, Esther quickly lowered her head. Damn, she could feel her cheeks go scarlet again!

"Are you alright?" Swaine asked and raised an eyebrow. He took her other arm and started to patch it up but he could feel Esther shiver lightly. "Y-yeah, it's okay…you're finished?"

"Just a second…there you go." Swaine let go of her arm and slowly stood up. Absent minded Esther ran her fingers over the new fabric around her arms. It felt good, this feeling of caring…how lovely. Her eyes suddenly shot open and right now she wanted to bang out these silly feelings of her head. She saw Swaine kneeling down in front of the Baabarian and brushed off the remaining dirt of its mane. Swaine gave the sheep a friendly smile and stroke it. "You ok, buddy?" The Baabarian let out a cheery "BAA!" and rubbed itself eagerly against Swaine's right leg. The thief couldn't help but roll his eyes at this odd affection.

A slight chuckle escaped Esther and Swaine quickly turned and gave her a glare. "Haha, funny I know. Now stand up, we better keep going!" He shook off his admirer but something else on the ground caught his attention. "Apples?" He slowly picked them up and the Baabarian "baaed" happily at him.

"Oh yes, the apples…" Esther scratched her head as she stood up. "I found them in the wood. I was thinking…I mean, perhaps we could eat them as a snack since we haven't eaten anything and I…well, I…"

Swaine couldn't help but smile. "That's…that's nice…" was the only thing he managed to say. Suddenly he somehow felt guilty in this moment but he didn't want her to notice. Instead the handed her one of the apples. "We can eat them on our way."

Esther nodded and without another word the three started on their way.

* * *

The sun was now standing high but a strong wind blew through the Rolling Hills which made their progress long and weary. Walking for hours and hours, Esther felt exhausted after a while and got tired of it, even though they made several breaks. She didn't know exactly what's the shortest way to Ding Dong Dell but when Swaine suggested, they should follow the Baabarian northbound, she had a bad feeling about it. But she didn't dare to say a word at first, after all…she had no idea where they were.

Swaine thought it was the best idea to follow their little fellow but after what seemed like endless hours of walking he couldn't see anything that looked quite familiar to him. He wanted to head in the direction of the old ruins of the Rolling Hills because he remembered there a little stone bridge over a great canyon. But then…when nightfall was finally approaching and they found themselves somewhere in a forest glade, Esther had enough.

"That's it!" the girl screamed and threw her hands in the air. "Just admit it, Swaine! We are lost!"

Swaine crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a deep sigh. God, he was so tired of this and above all his chest was hurting again. He looked down at the Baabarian which was running in circles around him and looked as lost as his human fellows. "You've no idea where we are, huh?" The sheep stopped and looked at Swaine with his usual sleepy eyes. Esther stepped beside Swaine and tugged frantically on his coat. "I'm done, Swaine! I'm done, done, DONE!" The thief shoved her aside, tired and annoyed by her yelling.

"I know! I-…" his voice failed when he turned his head towards the forest nearby. "You hear that?" Esther sighed. "Hear 'what'? The only thing I hear are goddamn crickets!" Swaine ignored her and walked towards the forest with the Baabarian in tow.

"Hey, where are you…wait for me!" Esther yelled and ran after her companions even though her body was hurting and her head felt dizzy.

After entering the forest and walking through the undergrowth, Esther found herself tumbling into Swaine's back but he didn't notice. In fact, the man turned around and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. A sudden smile appeared on his face. "Get a load of this! Didn't know there were so many of these here."

"What…what, ooh!" Esther's mouth opened wide in astonishment when she spotted the spring behind Swaine. It wasn't a hot spring and it was neither very big nor very deep but it still looked quite welcoming. The water was clear and the sound, Swaine had heard, was the lapping of water that came down from a small waterfall above.

"We should use it, what do you mean?" Swaine grimaced. "After all, it wouldn't hurt to wash ourselves once in a while." Esther gave him a brief look. "Wait, you mean…together?"

"Is that a problem?" Swaine shrugged with his shoulders. The girl made a few steps backwards and wagged her finger at him. "Oh yes, it is! I'm not eager for you to stare at me when I'm half-naked!" Esther couldn't tell why but thinking about this made her blush again.

The thief sighed and shook his head. "You know, you want to be treated like a grown up lady but you act like a silly child."

That hit home.

"That's not true! I..I…" she couldn't find the right words but when she realized how amusing that was for Swaine, she felt even more awkward.

"Fine." she said and looked defiantly at the man. "But you go first!"

"I thought it was _'Ladies first' _?"

"_Age before beauty_, Swaine!"

Swaine smirked at her and took off his coat. "Touché." He dropped it on the ground and undressed himself except for his boxers, when he realized that Esther was staring at him.

"What is it?" he asked rudely. Esther jerked and quickly turned around. "Sorry, I was just thinking…" She crossed her arms and looked down at the Baabarian which had already fallen asleep on the wooden ground. The sound of water could be heard, followed by Swaine who mumbled something like "Brrr, cold!"

The spring wasn't very deep, in fact when Swaine sat down the water only reached to his navel. He shifted his body a little bit and faced Esther with his back. "See? I'm not staring" he said and started to splash water on his face and his hair.

Esther's heart started to race when she quickly undressed herself too except for her underwear. She didn't stare at him at first but when she saw all the little scars and bruises on his body, she felt uncomfortable. But that was nothing compared to the large scar on his back. Carefully she folded her clothes and placed them beside Swaine's. Washing his arms, Swaine was amazed how dirty he had been all the time. It was somewhat disgusting, yet he also was used to it. He was lost in his thoughts when he felt something soft leaning against his back. It was Esther.

"Don't peep!" she growled when she leaned her back against his. Swaine rolled his eyes and was thankful that Esther couldn't see it.

"Sheesh, Esther. Do you really think I'm like that?" he sighed and wrapped his arms around his knees. Unbelievable that this girl thought so poorly of him. It made him feel kind of…sad. And dissapointed. But hey, what had he expected? She never held him in high esteem and it was hardly surprising.

He was a thief after all.

Esther muttered something Swaine wasn't able to understand and drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her arms. She could feel her heart pounding heavily against her chest again and scolded herself in thoughts for her stupid feelings. Gladly Swaine wasn't able to see her like that and Esther started to nibble her bottom lip to distract herself.

God, this was…embarrassing. And in so many ways.

So there they were, in a cold spring in the middle of nowhere, sitting back to back , each glaring into another direction. Time slowly passed by and night had already fallen over the Summerlands. Esther lifted her head and looked upwards into the night sky. Hopefully they'll find the right way tomorrow…she was tired of getting lost. And she was tired of this little journey.

"Oliver…I hope you're fine" Esther thought and closed her eyes. She could feel a dull pain in her chest and clenched her teeth. But it wasn't the mark.

It was something else.

"Swaine?" Esther needed to break this horrible silence.

"Yeah?"

"Can I…can I ask you something?"

"Uhm, sure."

Esther took a deep breath and culled her words. "Where did you get that scar on the back?"

As expected she felt the muscles in his back tensed, a little jolt flashed through his body. Swaine didn't expect this kind of question. It kinda caught him off guard.

"Why do you want to know that?" He wanted to sound cool, like it didn't matter to him but Esther could hear some kind of worry in his voice.

"Well, it's just…nevermind. Forget it."

How stupid…did she really think that he'd tell her? He, who hardly ever showed emotions except for fury and cynicism. Besides, he never showed them his back not even at the time when he was forced to wear a bathing suit in Castaway Cove. She remembered his face at that moment. It went pale from one second to another and he started to babble so many reasons why he feels so much more comfortable in his worn out clothes. Back then Esther thought it was funny as hell and made fun of him, but now she realized how silly she had acted.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to bother you" she mumbled. How could she be so silly? Of course he'd never tell her! After all what they have been through…why did she have to mention it?

"You were staring at it, right?"

"A little bit…"

Swaine had not the slightest idea why she wanted to know that. An uneasy feeling spread out inside of him as he took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"I think…it happened shortly after I've left home."

Esther lifted her head, a surprised look on her face. Taking a swift look over her shoulder, she noticed that Swaine was scratching the back of his head. A common thing he did whenever he felt uncomfortable.

"When I entered Castaway Cove. I've been in the Southern Summerlands for weeks and well…I got hungry."

"What do you mean with '_you got hungry_'?"

"I needed food, Esther" Swaine growled and rolled his eyes. Esther sighed and closed her eyes. "Let me guess…you STOLE it."

"Hey, I wanted to survive! Nevermind…" Swaine's memory was slowly coming back and he could tell that he didn't like it at all. "…yes, I stole it, but I've made a terrible mistake."

"What did you do?"

A shudder ran down his spine. "I stole it from pirates."

"Pirates?" Esther raised her head and looked once again over her shoulder. "Wait…what _did_ you do, Swaine?"

The thief took a swift look over his shoulder too and saw the serious look on Esther's face. "I stole some of their food provisions. Just some white bread and grapes. And then…I ran. But I wasn't fast enough." He suddenly chuckled to himself. That was the first rule he had to learn as a thief: Always be faster than your chasers.

"And…what happened then?" Esther's voice was curious, yet she could already imagine what had happened afterwards. The look on Swaine's face became severe and he stopped chuckling.

"Well, they caught me and beat me up. And then…" his voice cracked, just thinking about this made him sick. "…the Captain took out his whip."

Esther gulped, feeling guilty that she had brought back these memories. "I'm…I'm so sorry, Swaine. I didn't know…"

"How could you? It's okay. And after that…" he smiled faintly. "…I got never caught again. Well, almost." Swaine sounded pleased with himself even though he knew that Esther didn't like the idea of stealing. But right now he didn't care. That was his moment.

"Oh Swaine, Swaine, Swaine…" she said with a sing-song voice. "I remember your younger self, Gascon. Man, that boy was charming, civilized and had manners." Yes, she really liked Gascon. Even though he was snotty, but that doesn't matter. But what mattered was that Swaine told her such secrets affairs about his life and Esther felt thankful about it. Although…when she found out that Swaine was Gascon it felt like a head blow.

Swaine laughed at her comment and nudged the girl with his elbow. "Oh, I know, you REALLY liked Gascon! I was surprised that you didn't throw yourself at him."

"S-shut up!" Esther snarled at him but she could feel blood flowing to her already scarlet cheeks. "So what? In the end he was a charming prince. Not like you!"

The thief shook his head in amusement. "Too bad it turned out that we are one and the same person."

"Tss! Anyway…" Esther tried to calm down her racing heart. "What happened to that charming boy?"

"That charming boy died a long time ago." Swaine had no idea why he told her such intimate things about himself. Lost in thoughts, he clenched his fists and tried to push these memories out of his mind.

Esther knew that she had probably hit a weak point again. After all, she knew that Swaine didn't like to talk about his past. That's why he avoided any topic that could somehow be related with the events from 15 years ago.

"That's not true" Esther said after a while and this time she nudged the thief with her elbow. "I'm pretty sure he's still alive…somewhere." The man was surprised by her soft voice. And he was even more astonished that it was Esther who spoke out these words. Swaine tried to find his voice as he could feel something twisting inside of him.

"T-thank you…I guess" he mumbled to himself and bit his bottom lip.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." None of them said a word but after a while Swaine took a deep breath and broke the awkward silence.

"You know, that was pretty mushy. Even for you." he smirked.

"Haha, I know! But…" she rolled her eyes and nudged the thief once more. "…I don't care."

When Esther lowered her hand, she found his by mistake. She quickly wanted to withdraw her hand when Swaine suddenly took hold of it. Esther's heart jumped and she could feel how her pale cheeks blushed all over. There was it again…this goddamn fuzzy feeling in her chest. Somehow she wondered if Swaine felt that kind of feeling too…

But she didn't dare to say a word. Neither did Swaine when he gently squeezed her hand.

"Swaine?"

"What's wrong?"

"Uuh…n-nothing."

_Everything was fine._


	7. Chapter 6: Your Violent Heart

"Heeeey! Can you see anything?" Swaine yelled and looked up to the girl.

Esther finally managed to climb up a lower part of a small ruin, those 'natural wonders' that decorated the western landscape of the Rolling Hills. At first Esther hesitated to climb up the stony ornament on her own but Swaine insisted to, since she's a lot more agile than him and due to his limp he'd take an eternity. Or perhaps he was just way too lazy and he somehow enjoyed the fact that Esther suffered from some kind of vertigo. However he watched her carefully climbing up the terraced ruin and promised that he would catch her if she fell. Even though he desperately hoped that she wouldn't be so clumsy…

"For God's sake, stop hassling me! Bad enough that I've to climb this on my own, you coward!" Swaine squeezed the spot between his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. "I told you, I can't climb with that leg! Now hurry up!"

He casually leaned against one of those many stone columns that shot out of the ground. Actually they looked more like huge sharp bones of a carcass. Swaine wasn't entirely sure if they're bones or not, nevermind, they're pretty comfortable when it comes to leaning against them.

They have been wandering around since the early morning hours, desperately trying to find the right way. But finally, after some failings of orientating and their half-assed sense of direction, they found the stone bridge Swaine was talking about the whole time. Luckily enough that they didn't have to encounter any sort of nasty monsters on their way. So after crossing the stone bridge, everything looked already much more…familiar. And brighter. And far less dangerous.

"Ah…wait a minute!" Esther shouted back and gazed into the distance. The endless green land of the Northern Summerlands stretched out in front of her but her narrowed blue eyes were searching for something else. Something more…civilized. A tower. Or perhaps the wooden wind turbine of Ding Dong Dell…

"There! There it is! I can see it!" she cheered and pointed her hand eastbound. "Ding Dong Dell is right over there!" The sun refracted the light in the distance and the kingdom was swathed in a bright and misty light but Esther was still able to see the blurry silhouettes of the city wall.

"Thanks god…" Swaine mumbled and shook his head. "Now get back here!"

A brisk wind passed by and Swaine's coat started to sway back and forth in the breeze. A sudden "BAA!" caught his attention and he turned around. The Baabarian was playing jolly around in the green grass and chased after a butterfly. Swaine sighed and made a step towards the ruin without taking his eyes off the girl, who started hastily to climb down the stony wall.

"Hey, be careful!" Swaine said while watching Esther crawling. Suddenly she stopped in motion, giving the man underneath her a sharp look.

"Be quiet! I can take care of my own! And you're not my fath-aaaaah!" Just in that moment her right hand slipped away from the brown stone. A single piece of the wall broke out and fell on the ground and Esther found herself losing balance.

Swaine's heart stopped for a second when he saw the girl waving with her arms as she fell down the ruin. Without thinking too much, the thief dashed forward and stretched his arms out, ready to catch her in time. The next moment, Esther landed right on top of him, making the two of them stumble painfully to the ground.

"Ow, ow, ow…" she mumbled and rubbed her dizzy head. A growl came from underneath her and Esther realized that she was actually lying on top of Swaine. She jumped, as if his body was on fire and felt herself blush from embarrassment.

"What was that again? _'I can take care of my own'_, hah…" he groaned and struggled to get to his feet. Still blushing deeply, Esther helped him and tried to ignore her racing heart. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to…"

The thief made a gesture with his hand and interrupted her in midsentence. "Doesn't matter, Esther. I'm already used to it…" He gave her a smirk but it turned into a grimace when a sudden pain shot through his leg. The beating of her heart started to calm down and Esther gave the man a mocking look.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you'll need a walking stick, you old geezer!" She smiled and nudged the thief with her elbow, like she just told the best joke ever.

"Oh, shut up!" Swaine let out an angry snort but at the same time he nudged her back, making the girl laugh cheerfully. And he loved it. They have been sticking together in the wild for 3 days now but he had never heard her laughing like that. In fact, it even placed a thin smile on his face too.

Since their intimate talk in the spring yesterday evening, something changed. They were much closer now than they had been so far. And she was always present. Whenever Swaine closed his eyes, she was there. He opened his eyes, she was still there, always beside him. Even when Esther got angry or acted like a chick and argued around, he didn't mind it anymore. He just kept thinking that she was cute, no matter what she did. But Swaine still preferred seeing her smiling and laughing.

But he still wondered…was Esther feeling the same way? After all, she acted differently towards him, much more…friendlier. Or was it just this illusion, this childish and dumb illusion of him and her maybe together in another world?

Another world…what would it be like if…

"Swaine?" Esther flicked with her fingers in front of his face. "Hey, you still here?" Swaine shook his head slightly and his eyes widened. God, he really had to pay more attention…or at least he should try to avoid daydreaming so much.

"Uuh, it's alright." he smiled awkwardly. But instead of giving him an irritating look like always, Esther put her hands to her hips and laughed again. "You're rather distracted lately! What are you dreaming of?"

_I'm dreaming of you…_

"Nothing, really…" was the right answer to choose, he decided. Esther crossed her arms, not very satisfied with this simple answer. The wind began to howl louder than before and dark clouds started to appear in the usual nonstop blue sky. Looks like a storm is coming…

"Shall we go? If we hurry, we might reach Ding Dong Dell before nightfall. Now that we've found the right way…" Swaine added and looked down at the Baabarian who rubbed its wooly mane once more against Esther's leg. The girl started to giggle to herself and bend down to stroke the sheep.

"That's great to hear! I really need a bed now!" Esther said and watched the Baabarian bouncing around them. "By the way, Swaine…" she turned back to him and tugged on the sleeves of his coat to get his attention. Apparently, he was lost in his thoughts again.

"Y-yeah?" Swaine could slap himself right now. And he would have done it if Esther wasn't standing next to him. "I wanted to say…" she let go of his sleeve and turned her attention to the Baabarian on the ground which looked eagerly up to its human fellows. "You need to give it a name. Otherwise it won't be your familiar."

_A name? Oh yes, of course…_

"Well…" Swaine scratched his head and gave her words a serious consideration. But in the end he just shrugged with his shoulders and made a significant gesture towards her. "Why don't YOU give it a name?"

The emotions on her face changed from one second to another and Esther's eyes widened when she heard those words coming out of his mouth. "Wait…what? B-but if I choose a name then it will be my-…" Suddenly Swaine grabbed her by her hand and leaned forward, an amusing look on his face. "That's the point." he whispered. "It shall be YOUR familiar."

He waited patiently, waited what kind of effect those words would bring to her. And he would clearly enjoy it. At first Esther looked at him speechlessly, with eyes and mouth wide open. But then she began to shiver and there was something forming on her tongue, something as heavy as her pulse.

What is it, he wondered.

And it turned out to be a cry, but a cry of joy.

Without a warning she jumped at Swaine, wrapping her arms around his neck. And surely, the thief had expected anything in the world but not that. They found themselves tumble down on the ground once again but this time it was more or less intended. Before he was able to think straight again, he felt something soft, a peck, against his cheek and a low voice whispering "Thank you…"

* * *

There was really a storm coming.

Dark and heavy clouds filled tremendously fast the blue sky and a single but growling roll of thunder could be heard in the Northern Summerlands. Fortunately the howling wind became calmer although a few raindrops had already found their way from the sky down to the earth.

"So…Rumer, huh?" Swaine said. They have been walking next to each other in silence for a time now since Esther's little but ridiculously cute "slip". The girl jerked, as if she had just awakened from a deep slumber. Lost in thoughts she was thinking about her awkward behavior but she just couldn't help herself…she felt attracted to him.

"Esther?" His voice brought her back to reality. Esther turned her head and gave him a confused look. "Yes…yes, it's Rumer." She quickly looked up into the dark sky as if she was thinking about something important. But Swaine knew why she was avoiding his gaze. He smirked to himself. There was still this tingling feeling on his cheek, right where she had kissed him.

"Well, that's quite a creative name for someone who called his first familiar _'Gogo'_." he said and tried an attempt to catch her attention. And he succeeded.

"Oh, shut up!" Esther snorted. "I was still young, okay? By the way, _'Gunther'_ isn't very creative either!" Esther crossed her arms and sulked but she wasn't angry.

Swaine chuckled lightly and remembered his old familiar at this moment. It was the right thing to do, it was best for him to stay in Hamelin, by his younger brother Marcassin. After all, he helped to rebuild some parts of the palace since Porco Grosso had gone on a rampage the last time they entered. He wondered how he's doing…

A sudden sting pierced through his head. Swaine hissed through clenched teeth and looked at Esther but luckily she didn't notice.

Ugh…a headache. Swaine could feel it. There was this pain, this racking pain that kept coming and going since the early morning hours. Usually he was pretty good at hiding it but now it's getting worse with every minute. His head felt dizzy and he could feel how the pain drained him of strength. And not only that…also the mark on his chest hurt like hell. Once again.

_Nevermind…just keep walking. Everything will be fine._

Suddenly Esther crossed his way, hands on her hip and a grim look on her face.

_Uh oh…_

"Swaine, what's wrong with you?" Esther was standing in front of him and the look on her face became even darker. "Did you really think I won't notice? You're acting strange!"

The thief sighed. "It's nothing, really. I'm just tired…" Esther snorted and tugged on his sleeve, giving him a piercing look. "LIAR." She spoke the word loud and clearly, pronouncing every single letter.

"I…okay, I have a headache. There, you're satisfied?" was his gruff reply and tried to ignore the sharp pain in his head as best as he could.

Something was twisting inside of him…something nasty. Beside the pain in the head and in the chest. It was like a sticky liquid that made its way through the veins of his body, making him moving slower. But that…no, that's ridiculous.

Esther's expression changed. From anger to absolute disbelief.

The rain fell now heavily down on them, making the two of them shiver with cold. Shortly after a few minutes their clothes were soaked and stuck on their wet skin. Esther made a step forwards and reached her hands out. Touching his face as gentle as possible, she forced him to look at her. Swaine refused at the beginning because he didn't want to look into her eyes.

Those eyes…those pretty, blue eyes. Those beautiful eyes he just wanted to scratch out right at the moment.

"Just…just a headache? Are you sure? You know what happened last time when I-" Esther stuttered but was silenced when Swaine shoved her rudely out of his way, leaving the girl standing in the rain alone.

"I told you, it's nothing! Stop bothering me, Esther!" he yelled and clenched his fists. God, this girl was driving him crazy! Why, oh why did she always have to bother him?! There was a mounting anger boiling inside of him, the sort of anger he hasn't felt for a very long time now.

"S-Swaine, I think you need some rest. Please, you…" Esther carefully placed a hand on his back and felt his muscles tensed. Swaine whirled around and grabbed the girl by her shoulders. "Dear GOD, get off my back!"

Esther's eyes widened but she couldn't get out a single word. Instead she could feel hot tears damming up in her eyes. "I…I…" Esther's voice cracked. "I just wanted to…" The grip on her shoulders loosened and she saw Swaine making a few steps backwards, disbelief written all over his face.

_Great. Great, you blithering idiot have made her once again cry! Why don't you jump off a cliff?! Seriously, what's wrong with you?_

The racking headache made him balancing a little bit when he felt a strong grip on his arm. Swaine cracked his eyes open to see Esther holding onto him, a worried look on her face. He didn't know if there were tears or raindrops on her face, it could have been both. And it was his entire fault.

"Esther, I-I don't know why…I didn't want to…" he babbled guiltily but was silenced when Esther gently squeezed his arm.

"We should find a shelter. It's not the best idea to wander in an open area during a storm." she said with a cold voice and looked upwards to the dark sky. They were still standing in the pouring rain, completely soaked. When Swaine saw the sad look on her face, his heart fell into an endless black hole.

"Yes…you're right." was the only thing he managed to say before she let go of him.

* * *

A few hours later they found themselves in a small glade, surrounded by familiar old oak trees. Esther and Swaine took a shelter at a gathering place of trees, protected by their huge treetops and tremendous branches. It has gotten quite chilly now, the wind started to howl again and above all the two have lost all sense of time. The sky has been dark for hours now, it could have been afternoon but it could have also been already evening.

They sat quietly together. Esther leaned against Swaine and rested her head on his shoulder while Rumer took place on her lap. Swaine had given her his coat which was now wrapped around her shoulders and she was pretty thankful for it, even though it was wet.

"Esther…" Swaine began quietly and looked down at her. The silence was just unbearable. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you. I have no idea what has gotten into me…" He awkwardly ran his fingers through his scruffy hair, hoping that she would say something to him.

Esther cocked her head in his direction. "I know. It's ok, Swaine." To his surprise she had a faint smile on her face. "Remember what happened to me last time? I totally freaked out and I, haha, I even bit you." she smiled embarrassed to herself. Swaine sighed in relief and somehow managed to smile lightly. The girl gazed into the distance of the grey and foggy landscape while stroking the wooly mane of her new familiar.

"Do you…do you feel already better?" she asked curiously.

"Uh, a little bit." That was a lie. And a terrible one too. In fact, it all got worse but he didn't want to upset her even though he felt guilty lying to her. He turned away and pretended he was lost in thoughts.

Esther didn't response, instead she just let him woolgathering. And then something important struck him. Swaine blinked. It was something he had forgotten for the last few days. Or to be honest, he had just shoved it in the last corner of his mind where he thought he would never see it again.

It was the voice.

He remembered it now. When he woke up today, he could clearly hear it again. Swaine closed his eyes and sighed, trying to remember it. But it was all like a dusty dream, something that could have happened but he wasn't entirely sure if it really happened.

There was sobbing.

_Uuh…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…_

_W-what? Wait, who are you?_

_I couldn't…*sniff* I couldn't save you…_

_What do you mean? Hey wait!_

_I'm so sorry…please, be careful…_

_WAIT, PLEASE!_

And that was it. That was all he remembered. Swaine thought about to whom this voice might belong to. It sounded young and…girly? He was pretty sure it must be a girl. But who could it be? He doesn't know any girls out there! Except for…

Swaine suddenly jerked when he felt a light pain in his right shoulder. Looking down he saw Esther digging her teeth into his shoulder. The thief's jaw dropped at this sight. "Esther?! W-what the hell are you doing?!" The girl flinched and looked at him with big eyes. "I nudged you several times but you didn't answer! I thought this was the only way to…" blood rushed into her face and lightened up her pale cheeks.

"And you thought biting me would be useful?" he started at her in disbelief. Esther remained silent but then she burst into laughter. "Apparently it is!" The thief shook his head and rubbed his shoulder. _Wow. Now THAT was weird._

"What are you thinking about? she said with a low but curious voice. Suddenly Rumer let out a little "baa" while it curled itself up in Esther's lap. Swaine watched the sheep for a while before he looked back at her. "Uhm…Esther, there's something I need to know."

Esther was surprised by the serious tone of his voice and nodded. "What is it?"

The thief scratched his head, searching for the right words. "Did you…did you hear a voice while you were sleeping? I mean, did you hear someone talking?" Esther frowned at him. "No…I did not. Why? Did you hear someone?"

Swaine let out a sigh. Perhaps…perhaps it was all just a dream anyway. Perhaps this all wasn't even real. It's all in his head, nothing more than an imagination. _Don't freak out now, Swaine…_

"Nevermind. I think it was just a dream…a pretty stupid one." he gave her a thin smile and tried to relax. Esther wasn't sure what to think of this but she decided not to bother him about it. So she also leaned back and listened to the rain. They remained in silent for a while until Esther spoke again.

"Don't you worry about it?"

Swaine raised curiously an eyebrow. "Worry about what? The voice?"

"No…I mean…" Esther took a deep breath as she touched the spot on her chest where the mark was placed. "I mean this. Aren't you afraid?"

Oh, the mark. He had already forgotten about it because he didn't want to waste any thoughts about that. Of course he was worried about it, worried what it's about and what it could do to them in the end.

"Well, I don't know…I'm worried." Swaine finally said and looked down at the girl. Esther had a blank expression on her face but he saw that her body was shivering lightly. "I am afraid, Swaine…" she muttered and returned a look. "I'm afraid of what will happen. What if there isn't any cure? I'm scared of it!"

Esther clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked and gazed once more into the distance. Her mind was racing, and so did her heart. "I'm so scared…"

Swaine gulped, not knowing what to say now. Instead he reached out his arm and placed it around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. A surprised look appeared on Esther's face when she turned around, cheeks went scarlet.

But Swaine only gave her a gentle smile. "I'm sure we'll find a cure. Once we're back in Ding Dong Dell and together with Oliver, we'll find a solution for all of this. Don't think too much about it now, okay?"

Esther searched for her voice but it stuck somewhere in her throat, not allowing to come out. So she simply nodded and could feel how her chest got bundled up. This was kind of awkward once again, really mushy to be honest, but right now, in this moment it was the best thing to do. And it felt good, being so close to each other and a quiet smile appeared on the girl's face.

"Swaine?"

"Hm?"

Esther shifted her body a little bit so that she could face him better. "I…I can't believe that I'm really saying this but I'm glad that you're here…with me." Just then they realized that they were very close to each other. There was no more space between them and their faces were just a few inches away from each other. And when Swaine noticed this, his heart started to pound heavily against his chest.

Good heavens, what should he do? And Esther didn't say anything at all, she just remained silent, looking at him with eager eyes and red cheeks.

_Shall I…shall I do it? Does she even want it?_

The air got heavy and you could literally cut with a knife through the silence. It seemed like everything grounded to a halt. The rain, the time and even the goddamn universe itself.

_Oh boy, you're a grown up man! It's not like you haven't kissed someone before!_

Swaine knew that he'd do it eventually. He wasn't stupid and looking at Esther now, her beautiful blue eyes looking straight into his own, like she just found his wrecked soul, caused his heart to jump. And just when he wanted to lean forward and aimed for her lips, a stabbing pain pierced through his head.

He stopped in motion. "I…I can't." he mumbled and went bright red with shame.

But Esther didn't care. She suddenly stood up and dashed away, boiling with rage and shame. "Oh my God!" she thought angrily and facepalmed herself. "Did I…did I really want to…did HE just wanted to…oh GOD!" Her heart started to race again, but this time even faster than before and she just wanted to grab in her chest and rip that goddamn thing out of it! And smash it in the face of that stupid idiot!

"Esther!" Swaine got up and went over to her, still blushing deeply. _Great, Swaine. You just SCREWED IT UP._

Esther whirled around when she heard his voice, her wet ponytail almost slapped his face. She wanted to scream, to shout and to throw all sort of things at him. Telling him what a goddamn daft coward he was! And that he didn't even have the courage to kiss her!

But she didn't get to that point at the first place. Then Swaine suddenly collapsed in front of her.

All anger vanished from her body as she watched the man kneeling on the ground, struggling to breathe. "Swaine?!" she screamed and feel down beside him. "Are you alright? What…" her voice cracked when she saw black drops falling on the ground. Black drops that poured out of Swaine's eyes. What…what is this?!

Swaine coughed and crumbled to the ground, completely powerless. "Swaine…?" Esther felt hopelessly helpless and panic spread out inside of her. She must help him. NOW! Even though she was just a young girl, she made an attempt to get him somehow back to the shelter. "Uuf! You know, for such a lanky man you're quite heavy!" she groaned and tried her best to drag him back. Esther carefully placed Swaine on the ground and took off his coat. The sudden cold caused her skin to get goosebumps.

Esther struggle to get him into his own coat again. Unfortunately it was still soaked but it was better than nothing. When she was done she placed Swaine's head on her lap, looking down at him with misgiving.

"What's wrong with him?" she wondered and gently placed a hand on his forehead. No, he wasn't feverish at all. In fact he was as cold as ice. Swaine muttered something Esther wasn't able to understand. "Huh?" she leaned closer to him and saw that he tried to open his eyes when suddenly…

Something black poured out of them. Esther's heart stood still as she watched utterly shocked how the black liquid made her way down his pale cheeks. It was the same liquid as before and Esther gasped sharply for air.

"S-Swaine? What's wrong?!" her voice was shaking and she hastily tried to wipe away the black liquid. Swaine was breathing uneven and heavy under her. But he managed to smile faintly. "Esther…" he whispered and tried to open his eyes once again. "I'm so tired…"

As best as she could, Esther tried to blink back the tears that shot into her eyes. She was scared, scared of what happened to him. Taking a deep breath she gently stroke his face and tried to calm down. "It's okay…it's okay, Swaine. I'm right here…"

A single tear escaped her eye. _No please…don't go! Don't leave me alone now! Please, stay with me!_

But he was already gone, falling into a heavy and dreamless sleep. Far, far away from her. She sobbed uncontrollable and right now she just wanted to slap herself for her weakness. Something crept inside of her, something dull and heavy. Esther was still shivering when she felt her eyelids begin to drop slightly.

"No… I can't sleep now…I can't…" but fatigue had already taken control over her body and her mind and Esther's head fell back against the tree. Raindrops kept falling on her face but she didn't matter anymore.

* * *

Esther was dreaming. In fact, it was the same dream again. The one with the dark tunnel. And as before, the tunnel sucked her backwards into the darkness and she fell, fell down into an infinite void. This is where the dream usually ends. But this time it continues.

She fell on top of a mountain. A real pain shot through her body and pushed the air out of her lungs. Esther struggled to breath, her vision became blurry and her hands searched for support. Suddenly she could feel how her body got sucked into the mountain. Slow and steady.

_What the…?!_

Her vision became clear again, revealing a horrific scene in front of her. The mountain wasn't an ordinary mountain. It was a mountain containing of millions of skulls. And she was about to drown in those skulls.

_No…no! Let me out of here!_

But she couldn't scream. She couldn't move. All she could do was to watch how her body got eaten up. Suddenly the skulls around her started to move their bony jaws and started to laugh. Hysterical and scornful laughter everywhere.

Look at her, they laughed. Look at her misery!

AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

You're alone! You're like a stick, no one loves! HAHAHAHA!

YOU ARE NOTHING! NOTHING!

AAHAHAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!

_No! Stop it! STOP IT!_

* * *

Esther woke up, tears running down her red cheeks. It…was a dream. Just a dream. She was completely breathless and her heart was still racing. What an AWFUL dream! But something else caught her attention.

It was Rumer. The sheep was standing next to her, letting out a deep growl and exposing a row of needle-sharp teeth. "R-Rumer? Hey, what's the matter? What…-" Only now she realized at whom her familiar was growling. It was Swaine. He was sitting on the ground a few metres before her, buried his face in his hands. A purple light emerged from his chest.

_Oh no…_

Esther gulped and wiped away the tears. "S-Swaine? Are you alright…?" She crawled over to him and tried to take a look at his face. "Hey, it's me. Please, look at me…" Esther carefully took his hands and moved them away from his face. And to her surprise he didn't even refuse. What a big mistake that was.

She sharply gasped for air when she revealed his eyes. They were black. Completely black. Only his dilated pupils were purple. The black liquid from earlier poured out of the corner of his eyes, running down his pale cheeks while an eerie smile formed on his lips.

Swaine's black eyes suddenly became small slits. A deep growl came from his lungs and without a warning he jumped at Esther. It all happened so fast that she wasn't even able to scream anymore. Both of them fell to the ground but Swaine towered above her, wrapping his fingers around her neck. She felt his grip tighten on her throat as he started to strangle her.

_What…why?_

Esther wriggled underneath him, trying to escape but she was too weak. And he was far too strong. Swaine tightened his grasp around her throat once more. A sharp pain pierced through Esther's body and made her lungs slowly collapse.

_Swaine…please stop. You're killing me…_

Her vision became blurry and tears ran down her face once again. A quiet whimper was the last thing that escaped her throat before everything went black. But Esther wasn't dead. And now she realized that Swaine wasn't chocking her anymore. Her eyes shot open and she gasped desperately for air. The next thing she saw was her familiar Rumer, which was standing protectively before her.

The sheep let out another growl, this time even louder than before. Teary-eyed Esther recognized the blood on the tip of its horn. The girl turned around and spotted Swaine before her, kneeling on the ground and holding his stomach. He tried to catch his breath while blood slowly dripped down on the ground.

"Rumer, you…" Esther's voice was shaky as she crawled over to her familiar. "You saved my life…!" The Baabarian had smelled the danger and pushed Swaine away with all of its strength. Apparently it drilled its horn into Swaine's stomach, that's why he was bleeding.

Esther backed off, trying to get as much space between them as possible. But his quiet voice caught her attention. "E-Esther…" The girl looked at him utterly shocked. Not only his eyes were black, also the mark on his chest seemed to grow. Black veins, like thin swirls, made their way from his chest to his throat and up to his face and the black liquid was still pouring out of his eyes. He looked like a wrecked marionette, whose strings got pulled from someone else. Someone with pure evil intentions. Someone, who wanted to see them dead.

"Shadar…" Esther whispered. She couldn't stop crying but her head was clear again. This wasn't her Swaine. This was not the stupid thief she liked, the one she wanted to kiss before. No…but she wanted him back. She wanted her friend back! With a racing heart she stood up and made a careful but shaky step towards him. Swaine lifted his head and Esther could swear that she saw a white spot in his eyes. "He's fighting it!" she thought and touched the strangulation mark on her throat.

"Go away…" he growled when he saw Esther coming near him. "Go away!" Esther stood there like petrified. She took a deep breath and gave him a meaningful look. "No!"

Swaine cursed and hissed through clenched teeth when the sharp pain struck him once again. The black liquid still poured out of his eyes, he could hardly see a thing. Esther had watched him under shock and dashed towards him. She only had one try…only one! Please let it work!

Off-handedly she wrapped her arms around the man and caused them to stumble to the ground once again. Esther could feel how he tensed his body.

"GET OFF!" Swaine screamed and tried to shove her away but she didn't move. In fact she buried her head in this shoulder. "No! I won't!" The pain got unbearable and Swaine reached out his hands, digging his nails into her back. Esther hissed in pain as she tried to blink back the tears. "Swaine, please, stop it! It's me! It's me! Esther! Please, stop it! I…I beg you…" The girl started to sob into the collars of his coat. "Please…stop it…please, Swaine…"

And all of a sudden she could feel how his body began to relax underneath her. His hands slid down from her back and searched for hold on her shoulders. Esther waited a few seconds and then she carefully lifted her head. The black veins disappeared, it was as if the heart shaped mark shrank back to its normal size.

Swaine took a deep breath and cracked his eyes open. The black liquid in them disappeared fully, leaving nothing behind but his true grey eyes. He still felt completely lightheaded like someone had just banged his head against a wall several times. But he immediately recognized the girl that held onto him so tightly like no one before.

"E-Esther…"

And Esther burst into a flood of tears, never felt so happy to hear him saying her name.


	8. Chapter 7: Lost & Found

A lonely Baabarian stumbled out of the shrubbery and into an open green area. The air was clear and fresh, like it's always after a rainy night and the grass smelled and tasted delicious. The creature looked with sleepy eyes upwards into the blue sky. A gaudy butterfly flew by and abruptly caught the attention of the sheep.

"RUUUUUUUUUMER!" A sudden voice echoed through the shrubbery and the Baabarian turned its head. Finally two people found their way out of the dense shrubbery and into the open area where the Baabarian had already been waiting for them.

"Rumer!" Esther cheered and reached out her hands when the sheep tumbled towards her. The girl embraced her familiar dearly and muttered some words that sounded like "Never ever run away from me!".

Swaine looked down at the girl and her familiar on her ground, a faint smile appearing on his face. The sight of how much she cared about her new familiar made him feel fuzzy. But still…something was twisting inside of him. A knife cut through his chest when he recalled what had happened yesterday. An intense shudder suddenly ran down his spine.

He couldn't tell what had exactly happened yesterday, there were only some shattered pieces of his memory, ripped out of his mind and slowly coming back now and then in the worst moments. Swaine couldn't believe that it had all happened just yesterday. He simply didn't know it anymore…he must have passed out after all had happened. And when he woke up, the sun was shining and the sky was as blue as always. It was as if nothing had happened.

But when he saw Esther, saw her bloodshot eyes, the new bruises he couldn't remember and the strangulation marks on her throat he knew that it was his entire fault.

* * *

_"Esther…." he stuttered and tried his best to choke down the sickness inside of him. "Don't…don't say I did…I did this…"_

_But Esther was still glaring at him, eyes wide and with a trembling bottom lip. She knew that he was staring at her throat, she could barely hide the marks he had left. She slowly crawled over to him and reached out a hand, as if she wanted to make sure that he was real. Gently she touched his shoulder and Swaine winced at the touch._

_"I'm so glad…" she said with a breathy voice and tears dammed up in her eyes. "I'm so glad you're back…I-I thought you…you…" Swaine was utterly shocked by the tone in her voice and watched how the tears ran down her pale and dirty face. She didn't sleep the whole night. The fear of getting attacked once again by him was unbearable._

_Esther carefully reached out her arms and wrapped them around the man. She could feel how his muscles tensed and Swaine felt how much she shivered. But he gently rubbed her trembling back and finally embraced her too._

_"I am so sorry…"he muttered over and over again while Esther just sobbed into his shirt._

* * *

Esther slowly stood up as her familiar headed away into the green land but suddenly stood still and waited eagerly for its human fellows. In the distance there was a faint sight of a big and medieval city slowly approaching out of the daily haze.

"Ding Dong Dell…" Esther whispered, still she couldn't believe that they had really made it back. The girl turned around and looked at the thief behind her. She slowly reached out a hand. "Swaine…we have made it! We're back!" She even managed to put a thin smile on her face. But then she saw his sad look and her hand he didn't take.

"Are…are you alright?"

Swaine's eyes widened, her voice brought him back to reality. Like it did so many times before. "Y-yes…let's go." So, that was it. Four days together and now things will be as ever. Swaine gritted his teeth in frustration.

And even though things will now be as ever, things have changed forever.

Passing by, Swaine headed away in the direction of Ding Dong Dell, leaving Esther and the Baabarian behind. The girl watched him with a sorrowful look before she got in motion. Since he woke up they didn't waste any more words about what had happened yesterday night.

And Esther had no idea what was going on in Swaine's head.

* * *

Ding Dong Dell was as merry and full of chatty people as always. Happy voices and laughter reached their ears as Swaine and Esther with her familiar made their way to the city gate that was always guarded by two guards. But even those two looked after them with a puzzled look on their faces when they passed by.

"Wow." Swaine said and an uneasy feeling spread out inside of him. "We must look pretty miserable."

"Oh my God…just look at us." Esther lowered her head and suddenly felt rather embarrassed. People started to stop talking or doing their daily stuff when they saw them, pointing fingers at them. A dirty and ragged, full of bruises and bandages couple that entered their beautiful kingdom. Totally out of place.

"Come on, let's find Oliver!" Esther muttered under her breath and tugged frantically on Swaine's coat. The thief jerked, surprised that she got near him. "And where do you want to start? He could be everywhere!" Sighing, Esther let go of him and made a few steps forwards. She looked around her like she was searching for some hints. Where, oh where could he be…? Then something struck her mind.

"The Cat's Cradle Inn!" she said and pointed at the building to their right side. "I bet the Purrprietor must have seen him! Come on!"

Esther headed to the building, her whole body was tingling as she stood in front of the wooden door. Finally, she thought eagerly. And just when she wanted to place her hand on the doorknob, the door swung open and nearly slammed into Esther's face. The girl let out a shriek as she stumbled backwards.

"Ouch!" Esther shouted angrily and rubbed her sore nose. "What the hell?!"

But all anger vanished when she saw who was standing in the doorframe. A familiar figure with messy reddish brown hair and in wizard clothing was standing in front of them. The young boy's dark blue eyes widened when he recognized them.

"Oi, Ollie-boy! Whatcha lookin' at-…" Mr. Drippy hopped beside him and when he saw the lost couple, his jaw dropped to the ground.

"Esther...! Swaine!"

It took some time before he could think straight again, but then he ran towards his friends. Esther quickly got up and when she saw Oliver coming towards her, she dearly embraced the boy. "Oh, Oliveeeeer!" Esther cried and tears formed once again in her eyes. But right now she didn't care. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

Swaine looked at the tightly embraced children beside him, a faint smile formed on his lips. After a while Oliver let go of Esther, tears of joy running down his face as he smiled at her.

Then he turned to Swaine and wrapped his arms around his body. "I'm so glad to see you again…" Oliver muttered and hugged the thief tightly. That caught Swaine off guard but at the same time he felt happy and embraced the young boy, like a little brother. "Me too, Oliver…"

After they let go, Oliver turned around and looked in the faces of his friends.

His smile slowly disappeared and got replaced by a worried look. "What…what happened to you?" Esther took a careful step forward and took Oliver's hand into hers. "I'm so sorry, Oliver. I'm so sorry about this all…I…-" Oliver interrupted her. "I'm just glad that you're back. Really, I… I…" He smiled and whipped away his tears. Just then he realized what had happened to them.

"Esther…Swaine, what is that?" Oliver whispered utterly shocked and pointed at their heart shaped mark on their chests. Swaine gulped and Esther went pale. She opened her mouth but couldn't get out a single word. Instead she started to shiver. And Swaine beside her was the only one who noticed it.

"Flippin' heck, what's that?!" Drippy hopped up and down to get a better sight of the mark. Swaine cursed through clenched teeth and shoved the fairy out of the way.

"That's…that's a long story, Oliver. It is complicated but…" he turned to Esther who looked as if she was going to vomit. Swaine scratched his head and culled his words "…Esther looks pretty bad. We should go to a doctor with her"

Oliver snapped out of his thoughts and gave the girl a worried look. He realized how pale Esther suddenly became and gently took her by the hand. "Esther, are you alright? Can you walk?" Esther blinked and lowered her head slightly, trying to hide her emotions. "I'm okay…i-it's nothing." She tried to smile and made a gesture with her hand but Oliver shook his head.

"Of course we've to go to a doctor! Just look at both of you!" The boy grabbed them by their hands and wanted to drag them behind but got stopped when Drippy hopped into his way.

"Wait a sec, Ollie-boy!" The fairy bounced in circles around Esther and Swaine and took a close look at them. "Flippin' heck, you look totally knackered, muns! Just look at youer clothes!"

Drippy was right. Esther and Swaine's clothes were dirty, ripped and completely ragged. Swaine was kind of used to this but Esther felt once more embarrassed by this fact. "S-should we buy new clothes?" she asked.

The Lord High Lord of the fairies hopped over to the girl, landing right on top of her head. "That's what I flippin' say! And by the way, you need a bath lass…yuck!"

Oliver flicked with his fingers. "That's no problem. We have enough money to buy you new clothes." Swaine coughed awkwardly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "No thanks, I love my clothes too much to throw them away! And we don't have time for this now!"

"Then…why don't we quickly go to the Hootique and ask the Hootenanny if she can fix your clothes?" That was Oliver's suggestion.

So, after paying a very short visit to the Hootique, Esther and Swaine left with brand new, but borrowed, clothes. The Hootenanny promised she would patch up their old clothes but they had to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime Esther was wearing a plain white dress with a pale pink ribbon belt around her waist. Swaine however was dressed plain too. A green shirt, a dark brown jacket and black trousers, even though this clothes were a little bit baggy and he said several times that he just looked ridiculous.

Next to go was the doctor. There was no big hospital in Ding Dong Dell, instead there were only a few doctors who had their medical offices in one of the many medieval houses of the kingdom. And to the surprise of the group, one of the doctors was a Grimalkin called Dr. Krummbein. And when he saw how wretched Esther and Swaine looked, he immediately took care of them. In a white and sterile room, Esther was sitting on a typical hospital bed with a white blanket on it, while the Grimalkin took care of her wounds.

"Four days in the wild…that's terrible!" Dr. Krummbein said and patched up her arms. Oliver, who was still unduly concerned, was way too curious and asked the doctor, if he knew anything about the mark on their chests. But the Grimalkin only shifted his thick glasses and shook his furry head. He inspected the one on Esther's chest, much to her embarrassment.

"I've never seen something like that before…" he muttered and took an old medicine book from the shelf behind him. The doctor flicked quickly through the pages, only to shake his head once again. "This is no physical wound, that's for sure. This must be some sort of magic."

"You mean…" A sorrowful look appeared on Oliver's face. "…it's a curse?"

The doctor thought about his words, then nodded. "I am pretty sure. But looking at this mark…" The Grimalkin paused for a few seconds. "…this is no ordinary curse. But I am no wizard, I'm just a doctor."

The whole time Swaine remained silent, not daring to say a word. He just wanted that the pussycat doctor patched up his wounds and then get the hell out of here. They waited patiently until the doctor was nearly finished with patching up Esther's wounds when he suddenly cleared his throat.

"What happened to your throat, my girl?" Dr. Krummbein said and shifted his glasses back up his pink nose.

Esther face went pale. "W-what…?" Her eyes widened and she hastily looked across the room to meet Swaine's eyes only for a second. The thief gave her a short glimpse and lowered his head quickly.

"Oh…oooh, that!" Esther quickly looked back to the doctor and smiled nervously. "I-I got attacked by Firebrydes two days ago. It's nothing, really!"

"Hmm…" The Grimalkin inspected the marks on her throat closely and shook his head. "That's impossible. Firebrydes are not able to cause such wounds, I know that. It looks like something strangled you-"

Suddenly Swaine got in motion. "I gotta go now…!" he stuttered and stormed out of the room. "Huh?! Swaine, wait!" Oliver shouted after him but the thief was already gone. Esther stared at the open door as her bottom lip started to tremble.

He quickly left the medical office, only to find himself crumble down on the streets. Swaine was holding his stomach and choked. His heart pounded rapidly against his ribs that it almost hurt. The look on her face…he saw it over and over again, his mind kept repeating it. A familiar sting pierced through his chest and Swaine hissed in pain.

_This is not good…oh no, this is anything but good!_

"Swaine!" Oliver came out of the building and went over to the thief. "Are you alright? What's the matter?" He carefully helped him up to his feet and supported him with his arms.

"I…I am okay. I just need some rest…" he lied and rubbed his head. Oliver remained silent for a while and watched the man struggle with himself. "Let's go the Inn, Swaine. I'll come with you." The boy gave him a gentle smile and Swaine was kind of thankful for his company on the short way. It took all his self restrain not to vomit on the street.

At the Cat's Cradle, Oliver paid for the night and just when Swaine wanted to leave upstairs, he quickly held him back. "Wait, Swaine…" Oliver let go of him and rummaged in his never-ending bag for something important.

"Your pyjama…I thought, you'd like to wear it." Oliver smiled. Swaine looked closely at the green clothes. He spotted the bright red heart patch on the left sleeve. A few weeks ago, Esther stitched on everyone's pyjama a heart patch just for the fun of it, to make them look peppier.

A quiet smile appeared on his face when he saw the heart. "Thank you, Oliver." Without another word he took the clothes and disappeared through the wooden door upstairs.

The young wizard looked after him for a few seconds. He felt happy that he saw Swaine smiling for once but at the same time there was some kind of sorrow hidden in his eyes. Oliver sighed and decided to go back to the doctor. Someone was calling him when he left the Inn.

"Oi! Ollie-boy! Over here!" It was Drippy who hopped up and down like a bouncing ball. Esther stood right beside him and winked, her arms and legs were wrapped into new bandages while Rumer rubbed itself against her body again.

"How are you, Esther?" Oliver asked and smiled at her. "Better, thank you." Esther managed to smile too but deep inside of her she felt ripped. She knew, she had to do it. She had to say Oliver what had happened. Esther just couldn't stand that worried look in his eyes anymore.

"Oliver…" Esther said and took the boy by his hand. Oliver blinked at her, surprised by the serious tone of her voice. "Let's take a walk together, shall we?"

And then, she told him everything that had happened the last four days. Her secret midnight strolling and that Swaine was searching for her, how Shadar attacked them and how the two of them had died and found themselves alive again somewhere in the wild. How Swaine found the Baabarian and in what bad condition they have been the whole time. And the fact that they weren't able to summon their familiars anymore. Esther's voice trembled when she told him that. Right now she missed Gogo so much that it almost hurt.

But she didn't say a thing about what had happened to Swaine. Not daring to tell him that he nearly killed her. Esther was too afraid to tell the truth, too afraid of what would happen to their friendship if Oliver knew it.

But Oliver listened carefully in silence without interrupting her.

"I am so sorry, Oliver…" Esther finally said and embraced the boy once again.

* * *

Swaine was still lying in his bed, facing the wooden wall when he heard the door slowly cracking open.

"Uuh…Swaine?" It was Oliver. The boy peeped into the room, only a mop of his reddish brown hair could be seen. But Swaine didn't answer. In fact, he has been awake the whole time but he was too moody to talk now.

"Is he still sleeping?" Another low voice. Esther appeared above Oliver's head, the golden bangs of her hair falling down while peeking into the room.

_Dear God, I really need to lock my door…_

"Guess he is…" Oliver muttered. "He must be very exhausted."

"Tsk! I thought we all should discuss what we're doing next?"

"Yes, but…let him sleep. We can still talk about it tomorrow morning."

"If you say so, Oliver…"

"OI! Watcha doin' muns?!" Mr. Drippy appeared in the doorframe.

"SHHHHH!" Oliver and Esther hissed at the same time. Drippy sulked, much to his disappointment that no one was happy to see him. "Alright, alright! What's the ol' crank up to, eh?" Swaine rolled his eyes in annoyance. _One day I'm gonna shot that fairy and make it look like an accident…_

"He's sleeping. Let's leave him alone." Oliver said while carefully closing the wooden door.

Thankfully, Swaine let out a deep sigh and listened to their muffled voices behind the door. How long has he been lying here? The whole freaking day and he couldn't get a wink of sleep at all. And besides, he felt completely knackered. Guilt…he felt himself drowning merciless in this feeling.

After a short time the door cracked open once again. Swaine strained his ears. The quiet sound of footsteps walking over the wooden floor could be heard when suddenly something took place on the edge of his bed.

"I know, you're probably not sleeping." It was Esther. Swaine closed his eyes quickly. Esther was sitting beside him and looked down on his figure.

"I…I didn't say anything." Esther muttered and turned her head away from him. Instead she gazed out of the window. "I didn't say anything to anyone about yesterday. Neither to the doctor nor to Oliver and Drippy."

A knot formed inside of Swaine's throat, making it hard to swallow.

"I didn't want to upset Oliver even more than he already is about Shadar and about us. I…don't want to see him unhappy." Esther's bottom lip began to tremble. "But I am scared…I don't know what to do…"

Swaine's heart started to pound rapidly when he heard those words. He decided whether to move or not as her angry voice cut through the silence.

"Dammit, Swaine! Why are you playing dumb now?!" Esther said with a sharp voice. "You've no idea how much I need you right now! And all you do is running away, like always!" There was no answer. Shaking her head in disbelief, she slowly stood up and turned away from him, fists clenched.

"I should have known it! You coward!" She spat the last word with frustration.

And just when she wanted to leave, Swaine turned around and grabbed her by her arm. Esther got whirled around by the sudden grip and nearly tumbled into his bed. But her expression changed abruptly when she realized that Swaine was playing _"dead"_ the whole time. "I knew it."

Swaine tried to straighten himself up as Esther freed herself from his grip. The thief looked at the girl and slowly stood up. "You didn't tell him?" his voice was low and yet curious. Ether shook her blonde head and squeezed her eyes shut. "No…I couldn't. And I didn't want to."

Opening her eyes again, Esther looked hastily around her. "I told Oliver about Shadar…that he attacked us. But I didn't tell him about you…" Her voice suddenly failed her and she nibbled her bottom lip nervously. Swaine let out a deep sigh as the memories came back once again, tearing his heart apart.

"I am sorry, Esther..." he said and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder and when he did, he felt how her body tensed all of a sudden.

"Stop it." she muttered and slapped his hand away.

"W-what…?"

"Stop! Stop it!" she hissed through clenched teeth and grabbed him by his shoulders. "Stop saying you're sorry!"

"But…it was my fault-" Swaine's words got cut off when Esther interrupted him sharply.

"I said stop it, Swaine!" The girl was boiling with helpless rage and dug her nails into his shoulders. "Oliver…he mustn't know about this! You hear me? He has already to bear such a great burden as the savior of our world! I don't want us to be a burden too!"

Now he realized what she was up to. "So you…want to lie, huh? You really want to lie about the fact that I nearly killed you!" Swaine growled.

"S-shut up…!"

"Or what?! Let's face it! You're afraid that it will happen again! That I'll choke you again! That I can't control myself anymore!"

These words caught her off guard. Esther's eyes widened and her bottom lip started to tremble. No, she didn't want to hear those words, she could not bear them. "Shut up, Swaine…"

"And you think you can deny it?! You think you can flat-out lie to Oliver? Just look at you! You're already lying to yourself! YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOURSELF, ESTHER!"

"SHUT UP!"

Esther's scream came without a warning and her hand slapped the man across his face. Swaine's eyes grew big, the resounding slap seriously surprised him. He rubbed his sore cheek with his hand, watching how Esther backed away from him.

"You…you…" Hot tears ran down her bright red cheeks as she gritted her teeth. "YOU SCUMBAG!" And with those words she rushed out of his room and slammed the door behind her shut.

Through a haze of tears she stormed to her own room, tearing open the door only to slam it shut again. Esther's body bristled with rage and she went over to the mirror in her room only to ball her fist up and socked it against the looking glass. Once, twice, thrice, until it hurt too much and Esther stopped. Her right hand flinched and she wanted to shout with pain. Instead she looked into the mirror, looked into her pathetic reflection, the black heart shaped mark on her chest with pity and anger blend.

_Why? Why am I so weak?_

She balled her fist once again, ready to smash the mirror, to smash her miserable reflection and to smash herself. But she couldn't force her body to do it. Esther crumbled to the floor, breathing hard as she burst into tears.

_"YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOURSELF, ESTHER!"_

"That's not true…I-I care about you…" she sobbed but suddenly felt something soft against her face. Esther slowly lifted her head to see her Baabarian. Rumer let out a quiet "baa?" and snuggled itself up against its new master. Esther gently stroke the sheep before she buried her face into the wooly mane piteously.

* * *

Night approached once again and so did the nightmare.

Esther tossed and turned in her sheets for a while now. Only God knew how many times she had to encounter this nightmare and how much it was burning her up inside every time she entered it.

Getting sucked up by a dark tunnel and falling into an endless void wasn't the worst part anymore. Instead getting eaten up by a millions of skulls, that laughed hysterically at her was even worse. Like almost every night the nightmare suddenly continued and this time Esther felt strings around her arms and neck. The strings of a marionette.

Some higher power was pulling her out of the skulls, out of this misery. And into a new one. The strings around her neck and her arms cut into her skin.

_It…it hurts…_

Everything around her became dark and heavy. Suddenly there was a hand that placed itself on her cheeks. Esther whimpered when she felt another hand on her other cheek, gently stroking her face.

COME TO ME…the voice was low and deep and she knew it.

Suddenly a figure appeared out of the dark, a mischievous grin on its face. It was Swaine. Esther shuddered as his face turned into a grimace.

IF YOU STILL YEARN FOR PAIN, THEN COME TO ME.

I WILL GENTLY HURT YOU!

* * *

Esther's eyes shot open when a sting pierced through her chest. She painfully arched her back as she tried to gasp desperately for air. Shivering, she sat there and listened to the loud beating of her heart.

"Uh…uhh…dammit." Esther gulped back a sob and wiped away the tears. Rumer was resting at the end of her bed, safe and sound asleep. Esther watched how the body of the sheep gently raised and fell while it was breathing.

Suddenly she heard her door crack open. "W-who's there?!" Esther instinctively backed away in the darkness when she saw a lithe figure standing in the doorframe.

"Shh…it's me." It was Swaine. The thief carefully closed the door and leaned against it, a worried look on his face. "Are you...alright?"

_No, I AM NOT!_ She wanted to scream at him, instead she dug her nails into the pillow. "Get out…" she muttered with breathy voice. What was he even doing here? Seriously, creeping around in the middle of the night wasn't the best attitude. And she was sure that after this nightmare, HE was the last person on earth she wanted to see right now.

But Swaine only crossed his arms and shook his head. "No, Esther. My room is next to yours and guess what? I heard you screaming. In fact, I bet the whole Inn heard you screaming."

That was it.

"GET OUT!" Esther shouted and threw her pillow at him. The pillow sailed across the dark room and landed in front of Swaine's feet. The thief let out a sigh and picked it up, slowly walking over to her.

"Get away from me…!" she hissed and backed away. Swaine stopped in motion. The only light that lit the room was the pale moonlight from outside but still, he could see how tears ran down her cheeks and how violently her body shivered.

Swaine knew that he had to act carefully now, otherwise she'd totally freak out again. He made a careful step towards her bed and pulled a small wooden chair over to her bedside. Taking a deep breath, he handed back her pillow and watched how she slowly grabbed it. Then she looked at him for a few seconds teary-eyed when the girl suddenly grit her teeth and buried her face in her hands.

And right now, Swaine just wanted to hold her so badly. Beside the fact that she gave him a slap in the face earlier, he just wanted to reach out and embrace the poor girl, telling her that everything will be alright until she sobbed herself to sleep in his arms. But there was no way in heaven he could do this. Even though he couldn't think of anything else but to comfort her, he knew he couldn't and she wouldn't let him.

"I…" Esther's shaky voice interrupted his thoughts. "I am scared…I am scared of you…" She pressed her lips together to choke down the words. "I can't sleep anymore, Swaine! I'm too afraid that it will happen again!" She gave him such a piercing look that it might even be able to shatter glass. "THERE! I said it! Are you happy now?!" Swaine just sat there in silence and lowered his head, somehow he felt glad that she finally said the truth.

"I see…" Swaine muttered and when Esther saw the grief stricken look on his face, her heart cracked into pieces. Just then she realized what kind of affect her words had caused. He must feel so hated…once again in his life. And it was her fault.

Esther's mind was racing. She wanted to say that she was sorry, that she didn't mean it like that but her voice seemed to drown somewhere deep down inside her miserable body. A faint whimper escaped her throat and she covered her mouth.

Swaine watched her with wide eyes and slowly stood up. He just wanted to get out of here, far far away. But something was stopping him. His body shuddered lightly and his fingers twitched while his heart started to beat rapidly that he thought it might explode before he could get out of the room. How was he supposed to deal with all at once?

Yet he felt he should do something, something he probably should have done a while ago. Even though that this would end in one of the biggest mistakes he had ever done.

_There's no way I can make you happy…but I hope this will._

Swaine bit his lip but then he reached out and turned Esther's face towards his own, much to her surprise. Their eyes met only for a second in the dark and Esther could see a sudden glint in the thief's eyes before Swaine moved forward. It was too quickly for her to react and the next thing she felt was a peck on the lips.

It was incredible brief, only for a second but it left Esther startled. A sudden jolt rushed through her body and she felt like she'd been stabbed. How…how could this be possible? How could something this simple make her heart beat this fast? And loud?

"Goodnight, Esther…" Swaine whispered and turned around without looking at the shocked girl anymore and shut the door.

Esther sat there, staring after him for a few seconds. Completely alert and with a heart that wanted to burst out of her chest, like she waited for some kind of explanation.

Meanwhile, Swaine was still in the dark corridor, leaning against her door and waited for his own heart to calm down. When things couldn't get any more complicated, Swaine had the great ability to prove himself wrong. He breathed hard, in and out, trying to clear his mind. _What THE HELL are you doing?! Oh my Goodness, stop before it gets worse! You're digging your own grave, you daft dumb idiot!_

Lost in thoughts he rubbed his left upper arm and when his fingers traced the fabric of the heart patch he suddenly stopped for a second.

_"What…what is that? A heart?"_

_"Yes! Isn't it cute? Your pyjama looked so plain, so I thought I could pep it up a bit!"_

_"Aha…but why?"_

_*grumble* "You don't like it?"_

_"No, that's not it…I-"_

_"Oh Swaine, that's just a little act of friendship! That we belong together, you know?"_

_"Ahem. Thank you, Esther."_

_"..."_

_"But it looks a little bit misshapen."_

_"W-what?! No, it does NOT!"_

"Oh, screw it!" With a sudden movement he opened the door and entered her room once again only to find the girl sitting on her bed, still startled. Swaine went over to her and grabbed her by her shoulders, lifting her up from the bed.

"W-what are you doing?" Esther's voice was frightened when she felt her back against the wall and Swaine in front of her, a grim look on his face as he tightened his grasp.

"Swaine! What are-" But Esther was silenced when Swaine clamped his mouth over hers and when he did, that same sudden jolt went through Esther's body again. A tingling rush, her muscles tensed and her heart pounded fast. But this time it was longer and she had enough time to realize what's just happening. Realizing, that this simple gesture between two people could do something like this. And it didn't make any sense at all.

Esther could feel how Swaine slid an arm around her back, pulling her closer and all she could do was to hold onto him. When they broke apart, Esther found herself shivering as her eyes fluttered open. Swaine took a deep breath and looked down at her. Her chest was rising and falling, but he didn't know if it was because of the fear or the excitement.

"I…" Swaine pulled away, his voice low and rough"…I know I've done a terrible thing to you, Esther. And there's no way that I can make up for it." He paused for a second and shook his head lightly. "But I…I would never, NEVER hurt you on purpose."

He gave her a quiet smile. "Don't be afraid…otherwise I don't know what to do anymore. You're driving me crazy, girl." Esther was so dazed. She didn't know what to say or to do. Was she even supposed to do something? Should she stop him? But all she could manage was a faint sound as Swaine pulled her close again.

They had only been apart for a few seconds but when Swaine placed another gentle kiss on her lips that same shock went through her body, left her weak and shivering. Swaine, however, felt amazed by this mess he has gotten into, he could feel how his own skin tingled, his nerves coming awake one by one. It had been a long time now since he had last kissed a woman…

A sudden thought crossed his mind.

_This must be her first kiss. And I'm stealing it…just like a thief._

Swaine was somehow amused by this thought and smirked into the kiss. Either this, or Esther was just too shy to kiss him back. No matter what, Swaine was patient though, or maybe the soft noises she made were enough of a reward for him. Vaguely he could feel her struggle underneath him when Esther made her first attempt to kiss him back. She was hesitant though, afraid of doing something wrong. But her reward was a faint and appreciative sound from Swaine, when she assumed that she was doing it right.

When they finally broke apart, Esther took in a weak breath and rested her head against Swaine's chest. Even though she felt overwhelmed by emotions she just wanted to slap Swaine in his goddamn face again. But right now felt too weak and was glad for his support, his arms around her back.

"You alright?" A slight laugh escaped him when he felt her fingers dug into the fabric of his clothes. Swaine gently patted her head and waited for an answer. Maybe this was a little bit too much for her…

"S-shut up, you idiot…" Still trying to catch her breath, Esther muttered into his clothes when she wrapped her hands tightly around his body. It had only happened seconds ago but it already felt like a dream. Swaine stared down at her a few moments longer. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but paused, then apparently changed his mind.

Maybe she was right and he should just shut up once in a while.


End file.
